For Lost Years
by SeBriar
Summary: Blossom could hardly allow herself to believe the Rowdyruff Boys would cease their criminal activity just because they went on a several year hiatus. Brick couldn't believe he'd foolishly thought ignoring his past would lead him to a better future. The boys are back in town under some new circumstances, but with them follow attacks on the town that their associates are blamed for.
1. Spinning, Blasting, and Overwhelming

**Title:** For Lost Years  
><strong>Author:<strong> SeBriar**  
><strong>**Summary:** The boys are back after having disappeared for years. They must be up to something, but what? And who's leading these random attacks on the town? It's not the boys, so who?  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> RrB/PpG  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T, because they're teens.**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Family  
><strong>Details:<strong> Ruffs and Puffs are 16, and for the sake of the story as they grew older they developed fingers, toes, noses, etc.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I most definitely don't own the Powerpuff girls. I simply own the plot and the OC's in this story.  
><strong>Chapter One: <strong>Spinning, Blasting, and Overwhelming**  
><strong>

_Lets all blow a kiss to my awesome Beta, Elizabeth Burke! Without her this would be riddled with capitalization errors! She came up with the title too!  
><em>

_''An unjust peace is better than a just war.'' -Marcus Tullius Cicero_

Bubbles let her blue bag slide down her shoulder and drop to the ground, watching her opponent warily. ''What do you want, Boomer?'' She asked, ''It's been a long time since we last saw you guys.''

He smiled widely, _playfully_, shifting his feet apart in a ready stance. ''We're under new management,'' was all he said before bringing his hands together in a sharp 'CLAP!' and shattering the windows of the buildings surrounding them, making Bubbles stumble back a few steps. Before she could fully regain her bearings he was in her face. He grabbed her hands and turned his body to make both of them start to spin.

He spun them around and around, faster and faster until both their feet were off the ground.

''Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles~!'' He chanted before releasing her. Boomer watched her fly through the air, raising a hand above his eyes to see her shrinking form better and block out the bright glint of the sun. ''It's going, going, _gone_!'' He cheered when she slammed into the side of a building.

He took off and she shot off after him, trying to blast him with her eye-beams.

Boomer swiveled and dodged, laughing. He turned around so he was flying backwards to face her. ''C'mon, you can do better than that, right? I mean, you haven't even hit me yet!''

Bubbles puffed her cheeks indignantly. ''Fine! Take _**THIS**_!'' She screamed, the force of which breaking many more windows and sending Boomer spiraling face first into the pavement below.

He spit out pieces of concrete, and shook the residue from his now disheveled hair. ''_Now_ you're getting into it!''

* * *

><p>Buttercup scowled as she tossed her pack some ways behind her. ''So I see you boys are showing your faces again. Why? Finally decided to stop running away with your tails between your legs?'' She sneered.<p>

Butch shrugged off the taunt. ''Who's running? I'm here to _fight_, Babe.'' He tackled her to the ground, sending them rolling in a heap. Buttercup kicked him off and jumped to her feet, prepared to punch him into the ground, only to be shoved roughly into a parked red minivan across the street and denting the vehicle beyond repair. She threw the car away from her, grinding her teeth together angrily.

Butch slammed his fist into the street, leading it to crack in a sharp line headed straight for Buttercup. She gasped as the ground exploded under her feet and she fell into the large newly made crater.

''_Fucking Bastard!_'' She growled, floating slowly out of the crater and glaring at him, her eyes glowing a fierce green. ''I'll punch your fucking face in!''

Butch floated up and backwards, opening his arms invitingly. ''Ha! Ha! Ride me, Bitch!''

Buttercup let out a loud, outraged cry. Using her body like a battering ram she slammed into him. He let out an ''Oof!'' Then he grabbed one of her shoulders to force her away from him before kneeing her in the stomach and sending her back a few feet.

''I thought you were supposed to be the 'Toughest Fighter?' What a joke!'' She spat some blood from her mouth, and Butch stalled at the sight of it. ''Aw, shit,'' he muttered quietly to himself. ''I hit her too hard...''

_Beyond_ pissed off now, Buttercup clenched her fists and allowed them to glow green with her energy. She sent a fist-beam his way, and he shot upwards to avoid it, sticking his tongue out tauntingly.

Buttercup breathed heavily, her temper now spiraling out of her control. ''Grrrrrrraaaaaa_aaaaaAAAAA**AAAAAHHHHHHH**_!__'' She screamed, cracking him in the jaw with such ferocity he was sent crashing through several buildings (estimation: 17) before finally crashing through the window of an office building, landing in a poor woman's cubicle, and effectively destroying her work space. Not to mention knocking her off her chair and sending them both sprawled into a heap on the carpeted flooring.

''R-Row-Rowdy-R-Rowdyruff...'' She fainted, and Butch sheepishly untangled their limbs before standing up.

''Er, my bad,'' he mumbled, looking around at the shocked faces of the other workers who'd come running to see what was going on. He glanced back down at the unconscious woman before looking back at them, scratching the back of his head abashedly. ''Yeah, uh...somebody should probably help her, don't you think?'' They nodded dazedly. ''Alright. Well, bye.'' He took off out of the broken window, rubbing at his suddenly irritated eye. Stupid contact lens camera. It was so distracting.

''BASTARD! Where the hell are you?'' He heard.

Smirking, he shouted, ''Hey, Babe! Up for more?''

His answer was a bicycle tire to the face.

* * *

><p>Blossom frowned, setting her backpack down on the sidewalk softly before floating up to meet her stoic counterpart. He hovered a few feet infront of her, arms crossed and dark red eyes boring into her bright pink ones.<p>

''What's going on?'' She got right to the point. ''It's been eleven years since we've seen you. Why the sudden urge for confrontation?'' From appearances alone she could tell he'd changed from the stupid (borderline mentally disabled) boy he'd been as a child. He looked cold and analytical; completely 'no nonsense.' And with the skills to back it up now, she was sure. His long hair was held in a neat low ponytail and he still wore the red cap he'd had since they'd met. Not that she could talk; she still wore her bow after all.

Brick narrowed his eyes in scrutiny, rolling them at the big floppy bow atop her head and continuing to take in the changes her body had gone through since they were only kids, before focusing back on her face in a bored manner. ''_Believe_ me, there are so many more productive things I could be doing with my time than wasting it with you.''

''Why are you here then?'' She asked, preparing herself for the inevitable fight; if the loud crashes she was hearing throughout the city was any indication to their less than peaceful intentions.

He didn't answer, but his eyes seemed to glow a darker red as they stared at her intently. She almost didn't recognize it for what it was and had to throw her body to the left to avoid the blast of Heat Vision sent in her direction. Instead it hit a diaper-related billboard some distance behind her, melting it.

Her frown deepened. If these fights dragged on there was going to be alot of property damage done to the city...

''You should keep your focus on your opponent.'' She tuned, and swallowed thickly to see the red Ruff directly infront of her. ''I could have killed you just now.''

She found it hard to believe that any _single_ attack he could've used would take her down so easily, but she did turn her full attention to their fight. Expenses for the city's repair could wait. She knew it would take more than girlie kisses or stabs at his masculinity to defeat him this time. She could tell by his completely uninterested demeanor.

''Fine,'' she snapped, moving back to get out of his immediate vicinity and firing a ray of Heat Vision and following it up with a pink Eye-Beam. He batted them away with his arm like they were flies, barely blinking at the normally lethal attacks.

''A word of advice,'' he drawled, closing one eye and firing his own red beam out the other, which she just managed to dodge, though not without getting the ends of her hair seared. She scowled crossly. ''Don't try to use anything heat wise against me.''

She clenched her fists in preparation for his next attack (he seemed disinclined to fight hand to hand combat, so she expected another blast of some sort) but blinked in confusion when she saw his eyes cross and become unfocused. Then he blinked twice, focusing on her again.

''Lucky you. No more eye related attacks then.'' That through her off; she didn't understand why he would suddenly not want to or not be able to use said attacks.

She had to hurry and throw her arms infront of her to block the Fist-Beam he suddenly sent her way. Then he stretched one arm out and pointed directly at her, a narrow red beam shooting out of his index finger. Surprisingly, this one was more painful, and she guessed it was because it was more concentrated. She had to wonder how he did that, as she'd never been able to shoot beams out of individual fingers.

Then, Brick seemed to forgo beams altogether, ambushing her with a flurry of punches and kicks that were almost impossible to keep up with. She blocked a kick aimed to her head. Undaunted, Brick did a cartwheel like motion in the air, ending upside down in front of her as he dug his fist into her abdomen, sending her crashing to the street.

She glanced around her, surprised there were no cars coming as she pulled herself out of the gravel. With all six of them fighting like this someone was _bound_ to get hurt.

As if reading her mind, she heard Brick say from above her, ''No need for the heroics to distract you today. I've ordered my brothers to take _special_ precautions not to harm your precious townspeople.'' As he talked, he motioned disinterestedly to the town itself. And while there were several damaged buildings and the streets were suspiciously empty, she'd yet to see or hear anyone calling for help.

Her eyebrows shot up with surprise, then lowered skeptically. ''Why would you do that?''

He stared at her blankly, seemingly contemplating whether she was worth answering or not. He apparently decided she _wasn't_ (which annoyed her to no end since he'd yet to answer _any_ of her questions) because he came at her again, his face empty of any kind of emotion as he attacked her. It hurt just to block the hits, and the ones that landed smarted painfully.

Beginning to get overwhelmed, she took a deep breath, letting it out in a burst of ice. His arms were busy and he said he couldn't use his Heat Vision (for whatever reason) and a counter Ice-Breath wouldn't be able to stop-

Brick inhaled, letting out a small sigh, melting the Ice-Breath and evaporating it into steam.

Blossom blinked owlishly, one arm blocking a punch and the other raised before her face for protection. In her mind she reanalyzed their fight, realizing she had _yet_ to land a hit on the stoic boy infront of her. She herself was already scratched up, bruised, and singed.

* * *

><p>Leaning back in her chair, she allowed her eyes to flicker between the three images on the split screen of the large monitor. She took notes silently on the way the girls on the screen moved.<p>

Hayate (Hi-yah-tay) paced beneath her seat. The obsidian colored lion cub let his eyes continually wander to he screen, staring at it with something akin to impatience. Then he threw a glare in her direction, never pausing in his steps.

''Those are the girls, Haya.'' Hayate paused to give her a flat stare, and she had to wonder how much time she'd spent with this animal that she could interpret it's looks. ''You can't see the boys because the cameras are in their eyes. They'll be back soon...in fact I think they can come back now; I've got enough to go on, I think. That, and their scratching those girls up too much. I _told_ Butch to watch it...''

Hayate mewed and nodded sharply, apparently pleased. She rolled her eyes, leaning forward to press the yellow button on the long panel infront of her. ''Boys?''

On the screen, she saw Brick's camera image go black for a moment, indicating he'd blinked in surprise. Boomer's jerked suddenly, and Butch's was fast approaching the ground before knocking into a fire hydrant, making her and Hayate wince.

''You can come back now; I have all the information I need to begin construction.'' Hayate jumped onto her lap, mewing at the screen.

''Hey, it's Hayate! Hi Hayate, did you miss me?'' Boomer's voice filled the room, and Hayate mewed happily, which was a far cry from his usual grumpy self.

''You and that cat...'' Butch muttered. Hayate growled.

''Hayate is _not_ a cat, he's a LION.''

''Cat family.''

''We'll be back in five minutes or less,'' Brick interrupted, tired of hearing the same argument on a daily basis.

''Alright. See you then,'' she replied.

''Who the hell besides us actually has a _lion_ for a pet anyway?'' Was the last thing she heard before cutting off the connection. She looked down to the cub in her lap, who stared back up at her expectantly.

''Okay, Haya, it's time to get to work.'' Hayate climbed up to her shoulder as she stood, walking deeper into the large laboratory. ''The suits aren't going to build themselves after all.''

* * *

><p>Boomer back flipped into the air, avoiding the fist Bubbles slammed into the ground where he'd been previously standing. She flew up to meet him and prepare for his next attack, when he suddenly grabbed her hands and brought his face uncomfortably close to her own. She flushed at his proximity. He smiled and she blinked, wondering if she was going to be thrown again.<p>

''Sorry, Bubbles, gotta report to base, I'll be seeing you though!'' He let go of her hands and took off, a dark blue streak in the sky. She let her arms drop to her sides when it disappeared and slowly floated back to where she'd left her bag

_'What just happened...?'_

* * *

><p>They absentmindedly greeted the professor as they came in, heading straight up the stairs to their room. Bubbles dropped her bag on the floor and fell unceremoniously on her bed with a soft sigh. She felt buttercup do the same beside her, too lazy to go across the room to her own.<p>

Blossom blew her tousled bangs out her face and threw her backpack onto her bed in the middle of the room and stood infront of them.

''The hell was that?'' Buttercup started, sitting up. ''Why would they just leave like that?''

''I don't know...'' Blossom muttered, ''Brick just started mumbling to himself and took off.''

Bubbles sat up too, sitting back and folding her legs comfortably on the bed. ''Boomer said something about having to 'report to base.'''

Blossom crossed her arms and sat down next to them, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully out one of their circular windows. ''For whatever reason, Brick told me he'd ordered his brothers not to hurt anyone. _Did_ they hurt anyone?''

Buttercup blinked in surprise; Bubbles tilted her head in contemplation. ''Come to think of it, nobody was on the streets where we were. Our fight was all over the downtown area, but I hardly saw anyone unless I crashed through the wall of a building.''

''There wasn't anyone where I was either, and we fought all over the city.'' Buttercup said, scowling suspiciously.

''We know they didn't _do_ anything with the people because we still saw them, they just weren't outside.'' Bubbles added.

''Yeah, but _why_? The people of Townsville are so used to chaos that they hardly have the sense to stay inside anymore. Why the sudden change?'' Buttercup asked, annoyed with all the odd things going on.

Blossom kept silent for a moment and let her sisters toss theories back and forth. Suddenly standing up to pace back and forth made the other two cut their conversation off, looking at her questioningly.

''I'm trying to figure out their motives for attacking us. In the past I would assume it was for revenge, but they basically dropped off the face of the earth for so many years...And if they wanted revenge they wouldn't have fled when they weren't at any discernible disadvantage.'' She paused, staring off before she resumed her pacing. ''They came for something and they got it; the question is _what_.''

''BLOSSOM! Phone for you!'' Their father called from downstairs.

''Coming!'' She replied, glancing at her sisters before making her way downstairs. The professor handed her the phone before leaving and walking up their stairs. ''Hello? Blossom Utonium speaking.''

''Yes, hello. My name is Jennifer Carlfer, and I'm calling on behalf of my employer Dr. Catherine Magnesium. She would like to offer you and your sisters a tour of her establishment, Magnesium Industries. Ms. Magnesium has designed many military training gadgets and weapons inspired by your superpowers, and she would greatly appreciate your opinion on her work.''

Blossom hesitated, before deciding it couldn't do any harm. ''Sure; we'd be happy to.''

''How about two days from now? Is this Saturday alright?''

''It's fine. May I have an address?''

There was a pause on the other line. ''Don't worry. Somebody will be over to escort you and your sisters there. Thank you for your time.''

The line went dead and Blossom hung up the phone with a frown. ''I've never heard of Magnesium Industries...''

* * *

><p>''We're back!'' Boomer announced, jogging into the room without a care in the world and heading straight for the large monitor, where Hayate slept in the chair.<p>

Brick walked in next, rolling his eyes at his brother and walking to the adjoining room of the lab. Butch followed him in, rubbing his nose and scowling. ''She _broke_ my nose.''

A woman with long blonde hair held back with a black headband and wearing a lab coat with black gloves stood in the middle of the empty, white-tiled room. She held a remote control in her hands and was just about to engage the system when the boys walked in.

Butch ran up to her, completely invading her personal space and pointing desperately at his nose. ''She _broke _my nose! Fix it _please_?'' He whined.

She smiled indulgently, taking his jaw in her hand to pull his face down slightly and touching his nose lightly with the other, earning a hiss and a muttered cuss. She let go of his face and smiled wider. ''Your nose is already healing. Give it half an hour and you should be fine.'' Butch stomped out the room angrily, nursing his damaged nose.

Brick came up to her next, taking the Lens Camera out of his eye and handing it to her. ''It's not fully heat resistant.''

''I _told _you I hadn't tested it yet, and that you should keep Heat Vision to a minimum, didn't I?'' She reprimanded. Her answer was a blank stare, so she just sighed and pocketed the lens.

Brick glanced around the room disinterestedly before looking back at her. ''So what are you doing? You hardly ever come in here.''

She smiled brightly and gestured to the remote in her hand, ''I'm doing a test run. We'll be needing this room in the near future, I'm sure.''

Brick's eyes widened minutely. ''It's operational?''

She nodded. ''It should be.'' He seemed to be struggling to restrain himself from asking, so she put him out of his misery. ''Would _you_ like to be my first test subject?'' The stoic mask fell slightly and his eyebrows shot up before he breathed a quick ''_Yes._'' It reminded her of when he was a child and wasn't nearly as reserved as he was now.

''I haven't built the suits yet, so I'll start you on an easy level.'' She turned the dial on the remote to '4' and pressed the green button. ''Mind you, I'm expecting you to keep me out of harms way, since all I have on from my gear are the gloves.

Brick smirked and stood protectively infront of her as the room faded and took up the image of Townsville Harbor, where something started to emerge from the water.

* * *

><p>Boomer smiled as he pushed the black fingerless glove with a green stripe around the wrist against Hayate's nose. ''C'mon, Hayate. We've been practicing this for weeks; don't you want to impress Mom?'' The cub glowered at him. ''One more time then! <em>Track, Hayate.<em>''

The cub took a deep whiff of the glove before bounding off across the room to Butch, who stood over a desk, pushing objects around and murmuring to himself.

Butch yelped when the animal jumped up and sunk it's sharp teeth into his arm, then proceeded to push off from the floor and fly around shaking his arm, trying to get it off. ''What the hell, Boomer?'' He shouted, flying right up to his brother and holding out the his arm with the lion cub still attached.

Boomer sheepishly dislodged their pet from his livid brother's limb. ''I said _track_, not _attack_. He always gets them mixed up...''

''Stop trying to teach the damn cat to be a dog,'' Butch seethed, rubbing his arm with a scowl.

Boomer and Hayate scowled back. ''He's not a cat! He's a lion!''

''What_ever._''

Both of them turned to the elevator when it suddenly opened, revealing a young woman with short frown hair wearing a baby blue blouse and black pencil skirt.

''Hey Boys, where's Cathy?'' She asked them as she stepped into the room.

''Mom's in the Training Room with Brick.'' Boomer answered, looking over at the room. From where he stood he could see the windows along the wall flashing with red light. ''It looks like they're doing something, so make sure you knock first.''

She nodded, walking across the lab and knocking on the door.

''YES?'' She heard Cathy shout from the other side, followed by explosions and angry roars.

''It's Jen!''

''OH! OKAY, JUST A MOMENT!'' Seconds later the sounds died down and the door opened. Cathy walked out with an accomplished smile while tying her hair back into a low ponytail. Brick came out behind her, his clothes were ripped and he was covered in scratches but he kept his face blank. He nodded at her as they followed Cathy to her desk.

She picked up her clipboard, scribbling furiously and smiling widely. ''This went better than I thought! Just wait until I get the _suit_ _armor_ ready! Would you like to test it out for me again tomorrow, Brick?'' She asked, grinning at the disheveled redhead.

He nodded, ''Why not.''

She placed the clipboard back down before turning back to him. ''Now lets fix you up.'' She touched her gloved index finger to his forehead, and he closed his eyes as the cool wash of healing spread through him, closing up his cuts faster than his super healing would've.

He opened his eyes again as he felt her remove her hand. ''Thank you,'' he said quietly.

She nodded.

''HEY! I _SAW _THAT! HOW COME HE GETS TO BE HEALED AND NOT ME?'' Butch yelled from the other side of the room.

''Brick had full body injuries, Sweetie. Yours was just your nose,'' she called back.

''I had a broken BONE!'' He protested.

''Isn't it healed now?''

He faltered. ''Well. Yeah, but-''

''So your fine.''

Boomer chuckled as Butch huffed and stomped over to the elevator, leaving the lab.

''That's amazing,'' Jen said, astonished, and both Brick and Cathy turned to her.

Cathy raised an eyebrow. ''You've seen me do this before, Jen.''

''I have, but only one injury at a time; not multiple ones!'' Brick blinked, as if just realizing she'd healed _all_ of his injuries at the same time.

Cathy pulled off one of her gloves, and Brick frowned, staring at the burn mark on the back of her hand. She clenched and unclenched her fist, wincing a bit. ''The Chemical X in my system is still unstable, but I've designed these gloves to help me control it more precisely.'' She said, pretending not to notice Brick's frown deepening.

Jen suddenly snapped her fingers, remembering why she came down there. ''I called the girls for you; they'll be by Saturday afternoon.'' Brick's eyes widened before narrowing angrily.

''They're coming _here_?'' He hissed, turning to Cathy. ''You're inviting them to our _house_?''

She ignored his tone as she always did and answered calmly, ''They're not going into our _apartment suites_, Honey. They're touring the building and then I'm bringing them down to the lab. I would _appreciate_ it if you would accompany us.'' The way she said it sounded like much more than a simple request.

''They'll know that we work here.'' He said, glaring at her.

She lifted his hat off his head, making him blink, and flicked him in the forehead. ''You don't _work_ here, Brick. You _live_ here.''

He crossed his arms to avoid rubbing his head because that flick had actually stung. ''Fine. I'll help you show the girls around.'' He conceded, mostly because he just wasn't ready to get in an argument with her.

She smiled and handed him back his hat, and he left the room with an angry scowl.

''So...am I your favorite now?'' Boomer asked on the other side of the room, Hayate dozing in his arms.

''Go upstairs, Boomer.''

* * *

><p>Hope it was good. I'd love some feedback; this is the first multi-chapter story I've ever attempted to write. And tell me if you think Cathy and Jen are too Mary-Sue. I haven't really delved into anyone's personality yet, but if you can pick it up already let me know and I'll try to fix it.<p> 


	2. A Little Good, A Lot Bad

**Title:** For Lost Years  
><strong>Author:<strong> SeBriar**  
><strong>**Summary:** The boys are back after having disappeared for years. They must be up to something, but what? And who's leading these random attacks on the town? It's not the boys, so who?  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> RrB/PpG  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T for now**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Family  
><strong>Details:<strong> Ruffs and Puffs are 16, and for the sake of the story as they grew older they developed fingers, toes, noses, etc.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I most definitely don't own the Powerpuff girls. I simply own the plot and the OC's in this story.  
><strong>Chapter Two: <strong>A Little Good, Alot Bad**  
><strong>

_Happy Reading! Big hugs to my Beta, Elizabeth Burke! She fixed up alot of the sentence structure for me!  
><em>

_"'There are no atheists in foxholes' isn't an argument against atheism, it's an argument against foxholes.'' -James Morrow_

''Why are we going on this stupid tour, anyway? And on a _Saturday_?'' Buttercup asked, grumpily pulling on her sneakers. It was almost noon, so their escort would be there any second.

Blossom sat cross legged on the bed with her bow in her lap. Bubbles was on her knees behind her, brushing her silky red hair. ''Ms. Carlfer mentioned that the training weapons are based off of our superpowers. It couldn't hurt to give our opinion and see exactly what our country will be using for defense in the future.''

Bubbles smiled, running the brush effortlessly through tangle free locks. ''It might even be fun!'' She said excitedly, putting down the brush and arranging her sister's hair into a high ponytail.

Buttercup smirked, ''Yeah. Maybe she'll let us test run one of the gadgets.''

''Perhaps,'' Blossom agreed, handing Bubbles the bow to put in her hair.

Downstairs the doorbell rang, and they could hear the Professor answer it, followed quickly by an, ''Oh, Christ!'' and a thump.

All three shot down the stairs, stopping short at the sight of a fully grown lion with it's two front paws on their father's chest, pressing him into the floor.

''Er...Girls? Do you know this... lion?'' The Professor rasped, looking up at the lion who was staring at the girls.

''_No_. But I know that overgrown cat better get off you before I-'' Buttercup paused as the 'Overgrown Cat' raced passed her, tackling Bubbles to the floor and licking her ecstatically.

She giggled as the tongue tickled her cheeks, while her sisters and the Professor watched in disbelief.

The lion sat back on his haunches, watching Bubbles as she sat up. Now that she was at eye level with his chin, she spotted the card he had around his neck. It read, 'Hello, my name is Hayate. I will be your escort to M. Ind.'

''Girls, this cutie's name is Hayate!'' She giggled again when the lion huffed at being called cute.

* * *

><p>Butch tiptoed next door, entering the room without bothering to knock.<p>

Boomer slept like he'd been tranquilized; upside down with the blankets every which ways and the pillow kicked to the floor. Butch picked it up, smacking him in the face with it. He woke up, spluttering and flailing his limbs before falling off the bed altogether.

''Where's the cat?''

Boomer yanked the fallen covers off his head, staring at him incredulously. ''_Hayate_ is running an errand for Mom. Is that the _only_ reason you woke me up?''

''Yep.'' Butch replied simply. He walked out the room, dodging the pillow thrown at him and went into the next room over.

Boomer started to make up his bed, turning to the doorway when he heard, ''Brick? HEY BRICK? YOU AWAKE YET?'' Then a lot of fowl language and hysterical laughter as an alarm clock flew out the room next door and crashed against the opposite wall. He saw Butch run past, followed slowly by a PO'ed Brick with a messy bedhead who went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

Boomer shook his head, finishing what he was doing. Then he went to the kitchen where Butch was pouring milk into a bowl of cereal. He sat down and dragged the bowl and spoon his way, taking a few bites before it was snatched back by Butch. (''Get your own damn it!'')

Boomer shrugged and grabbed an apple off the counter, munching on that instead. ''So what's the plan for today? Mom and Brick will be busy all afternoon.''

Butch suddenly coughed, choking on his Frosted Flakes. He picked up his bowl and began to desperately chug down the milk.

Boomer raised an eyebrow. ''You okay?''

Butch nodded, setting the bowl down with a relieved sigh. Then he rounded on Boomer, who jumped in surprise. Butch smiled devilishly, and Boomer inched away from him.

''What? What is it?''

Butch smiled wider, ''You said _both _Mom and Brick will be busy, right?'' Boomer nodded slowly. ''That means Jen too, _right_?''

He nodded again, this time suspiciously. ''What do you have in mind?''

Butch hopped up from his seat, smiling practically ear to ear. ''That means there's nobody with the authority to keep us out of the storage room!'' He said, finishing it with an evil laugh.

At Boomer's blank look he face-palmed.

''The room where we store the gadgets we don't use! Ergo, the room where we stored that giant blaster Mojo left after he got defeated by the girls last month?''

_Now_ Boomer's smile matched his, and the two of them left to get dressed and go downstairs, cackling in excitement.

Two minutes later Brick stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a casual red button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black jeans. He narrowed his eyes at the empty apartment, where he'd thought he heard malicious laughter. He made a mental note to be on guard today.

* * *

><p>The girls lowered to the ground as their escort skidded to a halt, just outside the fifteen-story building. The lion led them in (practically attached at the hip to Bubbles) and were greeted by a neatly dressed woman with brown hair and matching eyes.<p>

She smiled politely, ''Welcome, Girls. I am Jennifer Carlfer; you can call me Jen. I'd be happy to take you to meet Ms. Magnesium.''

As they walked down the long hallway Bubbles quickened her pace to walk in step with the older woman. ''Is this your lion?'' She asked, running her hands through the animal's mane and earning a low grumble of appreciation.

Jennifer shook her head. ''Oh, no. Haya belongs to Ms. Magnesium and her sons.''

''They have a _lion_ as a pet?'' Buttercup asked with a scoff.

"A genetically-altered lion. He was injured when Ms. Magnesium's sons found him and in repairing the damage Ms. Magnesium also changed his growth pattern. Hayate's not nearly as old, or as big, as he looks. But I'm sure Ms. Magnesium will explain better than I can."

Blossom and Buttercup cast an amazed look at the lion at their sister's side, while Bubbles only grinned, as if it was only right that such a lovable creature could be so special.

They rounded a corner and stopped in front of an open doorway, where a blond woman sat, typing away at her computer. She wore a sleeveless blue tunic, black leggings, and white knee-high boots. her hair was long and wavy, flowing down her back and ending at the waist. She had a pair of glasses resting atop her head, in front of a black headband. A pair of black gloves rested one atop the other on her desk by the keyboard.

Jennifer rapped her knuckles against the door to get her attention. When Cathy's green eyes looked up Jen announced, ''The girls are here.''

She stood up, pulling on her gloves as she met them out in the hall.

''This is Dr. Catherine Magnesium,'' Jennifer introduced.

Catherine smiled at them pleasantly. ''It's nice to finally meet the famous Powerpuff Girls, but please call me Cathy.''

''It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Dr. Cathy,'' Blossom said smiling at the praise and outstretched her hand for the woman to shake, which she did. Then she gestured to her sisters, ''My name is Blossom, and these are my sisters, Buttercup and Bubbles.'' Bubbles waved, and Buttercup gave a grumpy 'Hey.'

Cathy opened her mouth to say something, then stopped when she noticed the lion slowly stepping backwards. That was her only warning before it leaped at her, and the girls flinched, fearing he would hurt her. It was unnecessary, because Hayate shrunk down to his normal size before landing in Cathy's arms, nuzzling her neck and purring.

Cathy giggled, ''I trust Hayate made a good escort?'' She asked, barely holding back a laugh at the open-mouthed stare she was getting from all present besides Jennifer.

Bubbles snapped out of it first. ''Yes! Hayate is very sweet!''

Buttercup snorted beside her, ''That evil cat jumped on our dad and tackled Bubbles.''

Hayate had the sense to look reproachful as he received The Stare® from his owner, and whined apologetically. ''I'm sorry. Hayate tends to be quiet and grumpy, but when he likes someone he jumps at them. He just can't seem to understand that he shouldn't jump on them when he's that large.'' She said, looking pointedly at him. The cub hid his face in her shoulder.

''I actually had a question about that,'' Blossom spoke up, earning everyone's attention. ''Ms. Jennifer said he's genetically altered, and we just witnessed him change his size. I was wondering about the specifics?''

Cathy blinked in surprise. ''Really? It was just a simple process of attaching stem cells to the cells he already had that controlled his growth patterns. I simply sped up the process and added some extra muscle mass to help him adjust to his new size. However, I don't completely understand why he switches from being an adult to a cub when the stem cells were supposed to help him grow normally.''

Blossom nodded, fascinated, but this completely went over Buttercup, Bubbles, and Jen's heads.

''One of my son's was also experimenting with a type of Chemical X I was developing at the time and got some on Hayate, which I presume is a good reason for the anomaly, as well as his coloring; Haya used to be beige with a tan underbelly and tail, but now, as you can see, he's black with a navy blue tail and underbelly.''

''That's amazing,'' Blossom gushed, staring at the cub intently, who by now had dozed off from all the boring conversation.

''Yeah, amazing. Can we go on this tour now, please?'' Buttercup asked impatiently. She'd had enough nerd talk and was ready to see stuff get shot at and blow up. Bubbles elbowed her for being rude, which she promptly ignored.

''Of course,'' Dr. Cathy replied, ''We just have to wait for- there he is.'' She said as the elevator 'dinged' and opened. ''Girls, this is my-'' She didn't get to finish, as Buttercup suddenly launched herself at the boy who'd just stepped off the elevator.

* * *

><p>Boomer tossed another laser over his shoulder, continuing to sort through the piles and piles of discarded weapons.<p>

''_YES! I found it!'' _Butch shouted from another large pile. The green Ruff pulled out a large energy blaster about four times his size and set it down in front of his brother.

''Yeah, that's great, but what are we going to _do_ with it?'' Boomer asked, circling around Butch's new toy. ''It's in the storage room for a reason: It doesn't work.''

Butch looked affronted. ''Um, _hello?_ Weapons manic standing right in front of you. I may not know shit about computer hacking stuff, but I sure as hell can put a gun together and take it apart.''

Boomer cocked an eyebrow and gestured to the blaster. ''An average gun, yes, but this is a _blaster _that came off one of Mojo's largest robots. It's, like, the size of a truck.''

Butch snorted. ''So what? It's still a gun. It's got a trigger and it hurts people.'' He said, floating over to the barrel and ripping off the top. The upper half of his body disappeared as he tinkered with it.

The inside of the barrel began to light up with a yellow light, and Boomer slowly backed away. ''Hey...Butch? I don't think-''

An energy beam blasted from the barrel and through the wall. ...And the next one, and the next one, and the next one, and the next one...

As Butch pulled his head out to stare at the several gaping wholes from where he stood, Boomer gave him a wide-eyed stare. Even now they could still hear the sounds of the beam crashing through more walls abefore fizzling out once it reached the front of the building.

Thankfully they were on the first floor; not too many people worked on this floor except...

Boomer whipped his head back to the holes, eyes widening with horror. ''_OH __**SHIT**_!''

''What?'' Butch asked, coming up beside him. ''What is it? Did it hit something else?''

''Mom's office! IT WENT THROUGH HER OFFICE!''

Butch paled. ''_OH. __**FUCK**_.''

* * *

><p>Brick just laid limply on the floor, his head turned to Dr. Cathy with an 'Are You Serious?' stare. Buttercup was crouched over him, her hand pressing his shoulders down, despite the fact he wasn't making any attempt to get up.<p>

Blossom had come over and stood on his other side, hand glowing pink and aimed at his face should he try anything.

''What the hell are you doing here? Trying to steal some new artillery?'' Buttercup hissed.

''I helped _design_ half the shit here. Now, if you could please release me, I would really appreciate it.'' Brick said dryly.

''What do you mean by that?'' Blossom asked sharply, leering down at him in anger for disrupting the tour and trying to steal from such a nice woman. (Apparently she had forgotten the fact that he'd stepped off the elevator, not come busting in and destroying stuff.)

Cathy stepped forward. ''There's been a mis-''

''You should stay back, Doctor,'' Bubbles warned, grabbing her arm to stall her approach. Brick frowned, and Cathy started to look slightly distressed.

''But Brick is-''

''Wait a minute!'' Buttercup interrupted, ''If he's here, then the other two must be around some where. _This one_ was probably a distraction.''

Brick scoffed, ''Why would I use _myself_ as a distraction?''

''Excuse me,'' Jennifer cut in briskly; all eyes flew to her, and Cathy looked relieved that _someone_ seemed able to stall the commotion. ''Dr. Catherine may not be one to raise her voice," (Brick rolled his eyes at that) "But _I am_. Buttercup, can you please release Brick?''

Buttercup looked ready to yell, but kept her mouth shut when Blossom shook her head and answered for her. ''Jen, Brick is a dangerous criminal and could very easily take out the whole building. We have to contain him; his brothers will come looking for him sooner or later.''

Jennifer was a very short-tempered woman, and was quickly losing her patience. Dr. Cathy decided to give it one last shot. ''_Brick_ is _my_-''

The building suddenly shook fiercely, knocking both Jen and Cathy off their feet. Cathy had to twist her body deftly to avoid landing on the cub in her arms, who was now startled awake, and ended up painfully hitting her skull on the floor.

Brick sat up some as the tremors became more forceful, his eyes completely focused on the Dr. Catherine, who'd been rendered unconscious; Buttercup's grip slackened in surprise as she and Blossom looked worriedly over at the two fallen women.

A hole was ripped through the wall, and Blossom and Bubbles had to duck to avoid being hit as the only one's standing. The beam of yellow light continued to the parallel wall and onward until blasting and dispersing outside.

The hallway stilled. Blossom, Buttercup, and Brick frozen in their places, while Bubbles had used her body as a shield to cover Jen, Hayate, and the KO'ed Cathy from fallen debris.

Seconds later Butch and Boomer came flying in through the holes just previously made. Boomer took one look at Cathy and completely freaked out. ''Oh no! Oh no! We hit her! We fucking hit her! We-!'' Both he and Butch were unexpectedly shoved up against the part of the wall still in contact by their necks, two vicious and glowing red eyes boring into their own.

As if only vaguely holding himself back from ripping them apart in his anger, Brick snarled, ''What. _The hell. __**Did you do**_?'' Blossom and Bubbles hung back and helped Jennifer to her feet. Even Buttercup was oddly subdued at the display as she checked on Dr. Cathy.

''We...we-I-B-Butch took-Blaster-Yellow...'' Boomer stuttered unintelligibly, but that was all his brother needed to focus his eyes on on his other captive.

Butch stayed silent.

This only irked Brick further, and his face began to match the color of his eyes. ''Are you two _OUT OF YOU FUCKING MINDS?_'' His brothers, the girls, and Jen winced at his volume. ''YOU COULD HAVE FUCKING _**KILLED **_HER.''

Boomer could not form proper speech, but he looked adequately miserable and stressed out. Brick let him go, and Boomer tried to reach Dr. Cathy, only to be blocked by Buttercup.

Brick turned back to Butch, ''_**Well**_?'' But still only received silence.

''_Brick_.'' Jen's voice cut in, stalling him in the way only herself and Dr. Cathy could. ''We've got bigger issues right now.'' That was her way of commanding him to drop Butch and _get over here_. He did so, grudgingly, and Butch 'oomph'ed' as he landed on his rear.

Blossom's eyes widened and she looked at Jen with surprise. Why was she acting like she _knew_ Brick? And why did Brick listen to her? ''Jen?''

''Later, Blossom. Dr. Cathy comes first right now.''

* * *

><p>''All she's got is a simple bump on the noggin. She's fine and will probably wake up any minutes now,'' The doctor said. Everyone but Brick breathed a sigh of relief, because the red Ruff was too busy glaring at the wall.<p>

''Can I please have an explanation now?'' Blossom asked once the doctor left the room. ''Why are we allowing the Rowdyruffs within five feet of Dr. Catherine when they're are the ones who damaged her building and knocked her out in the first place?''

''It was an accident,'' Butch grumbled, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived at the hospital.

Buttercup exploded. ''HOW THE HELL DO YOU _ACCIDENTALLY_ BLOW UP A BUNCH OF WALLS?''

''Calm down.'' Jen said, looking between the two. They quieted, but glared at each other angrily from their seats. Jen turned back to Blossom. ''The reason the boys were at Magnesium Industries is because they _live_ at Magnesium Industries.''

Blossom furrowed her brow. ''Why on Earth would Dr. Cathy allow three criminals to-''

''She's our _mother_, Miss Know-It-All.'' Brick replied scathingly, never taking his eyes from the wall across the room.

* * *

><p>We're getting a feel for relationships right now. The action starts in Chapter Four, so bear with me. Hope you enjoyed it!<p> 


	3. Memories of Pain and Pleasure

**Title:** For Lost Years  
><strong>Author:<strong> SeBriar**  
><strong>**Summary:** The boys are back after having disappeared for years. They must be up to something, but what? And who's leading these random attacks on the town? It's not the boys, so who?  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> RrB/PpG  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T for now**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Family  
><strong>Details:<strong> Ruffs and Puffs are 16, and for the sake of the story as they grew older they developed fingers, toes, noses, etc.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I most definitely don't own the Powerpuff girls. I simply own the plot and the OC's in this story.  
><strong>Chapter Three:<strong> Memories of Pain and Pleasure**  
><strong>

(A/N: This is a flashback guys!)

_Happy reading everyone. Special thanks to my Beta, Elizabeth Burke!_

_''If family were a fruit it would be an orange: a circle of sections, held together but separable - each segment distinct.'' ~Letty Cottin Pogrebin_

It's cold, and gray, and creepy, and wet. He's tired and hungry. All he wants is a cheeseburger and a nice warm bed.

''Hurry up, Stupid!'' Butch hissed ahead of him. He sped up, but it was hard. He couldn't see in this rain, and he was shivering uncontrollably. ''Do you want those girls to find us?''

''No,'' He whined pitifully. But he was HUNGRY. He hadn't eaten in days. And they'd been so _close_ to food.

''Then keep up! There are snails faster than you!'' That was completely untrue, for he was currently going at a speed of sixty miles per hour, and on a normal day he was faster than both Butch and Brick, but he kept silent. Butch was pissed off and just as hungry as he was. He wouldn't complain and be called a baby again.

He squinted his eyes and looked past Butch at the red blur he could barely see through all the rain stinging his eyes. Brick hadn't said a word for the entire ten minutes they'd been flying, staring determinedly ahead and ignoring Boomer's previous pleads that they stop and find _something _to eat.

He didn't even know why they were still flying! Those girls had long since given up chase.

The rain felt like ice shards simultaneously piercing his skin. His stomach hurt from always being empty. His eyes burned from the rain and lack of sleep. His head hurt and he couldn't see straight anymore. He was so cold he couldn't feel his hands or face. His nose was running. His ears were ringing. His clothes were soaked through and rubbing his skin raw as he flew.

...And he was losing altitude.

His eyes closed half way as he started to free fall over a hundred feet toward the ground. He could faintly hear his brothers shouting for him over the pounding in his ears.

His descent was suddenly slowed to a stop, and he could feel Butch's arms slide underneath his, holding him up.

In his bleary vision he could see Brick floating in front of him. He was frowning angrily, and Boomer was prepared to hear how weak he was for just fainting like that.

Surprisingly, Brick didn't say anything for a minute, just studied his face.

''He looks pretty bad Brick,'' Butch muttered, as if trying to persuade their leader to make the obvious choice.

Boomer blinked slowly as he watched Brick clench his fists. His mind was in a haze and he was having difficulty processing what was happening around him.

''Fine!'' He thought he heard Brick growl. ''Let's take him somewhere dry.''

The next few minutes was a whirl of colors and shapes for Boomer, but he knew they were flying from the harsh wind whipping the hair around his face. He was set down on what felt like moderately dry grass, and opened his eyes enough to tell that they were underneath the slide at the park before they became to heavy for him.

He felt someone roughly shove their hand against his forehead before pulling away sharply. ''Great! _And _he's got a fever! Just perfect!'' Brick was yelling. Brick was angry.

''So what should we do?'' Butch asked, laying Boomer's head down on the soft grass, which the blonde was thankful for since it relieved some of his nearly unbearable headache.

''How should I know? Do I look like a doctor to you?'' He let his eyes crack open again, desperate to see what was going on. Brick was trembling, whether from the cold air or anger he didn't know.

''Well _you're_ the leader here, Red. _You_ fix him.'' Butch's hand was resting on the top of his head, the only sign of worry he was sure he was ever going to get from him. But that's not why he'd noticed it. His hand was ice cold; he could feel it through his hair. And Butch's voice was hoarse. He was getting sick too.

He must have drifted off into a feverish sleep after that, because the next thing he was aware of was Butch's heavy breathing on his left and Brick's shivering form on his right, both apparently asleep. And _oh_, he felt even worse now. It hurt his head just to think, and he could forget about moving anytime soon.

It was still raining, and it was darker out now. It'd been late evening before so he guessed now it late at night.

''What on Earth?'' He let his eyes drift forward, and spotted yellow rain boots. His gaze traveled upward to the worried face of a young woman wearing a matching raincoat and carrying an umbrella over her head. He could see blonde hair plastered to her face under her hood and emerald green eyes looking directly at him. ''What are three little boys doing out in the rain at this hour?''

She squatted down and touched his forehead, and he saw her frown. She did he same to Butch and Brick, neither of them stirring from their heavy sleep. Then she glanced at her umbrella in contemplation, before sighing and closing it. She hooked the string on the handle around her wrist, and reached out to him.

He thought about screaming at her to go away. After all, that's what his brothers would tell him to do. But he didn't. He let her lift him up and cuddle him to her chest, because she was _warm_.

She shifted him gently to make room for his brothers in her arms, hugging all of them to lend them her warmth. She stood up and began to walk, hunched over to shield them from the rain with her body.

It was really dark out, which would explain why she couldn't tell he was awake and staring at her. It was probably also why she was even touching them. Everyone in town knew about the infamous Rowdyruff Boys; the trouble making counterparts of the Powerpuff Girls that constantly terrorized the town and were evil to the core.

''You three sure are light. Don't you eat?'' _NO_. She was talking to herself, which he thought was weird, but he did it sometimes too since he couldn't really hold a conversation with Brick or Butch without being called stupid, wimpy, or a crybaby.

They entered a really large building, and he dazed out on the ride in the elevator to the top floor. He was brought back to reality when he heard, ''WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?''

He winced at the loud noise, his headache fast approaching the migraine stage. ''Jen! Don't be so loud! I just went for a walk.'' The woman carrying him whispered harshly.

The screaming banshee now known as Jen lowered her voice, but continued her lecture. ''It's two in the morning Cathy. Who goes for a walk this late, and in the rain? You're twenty-four; you could've gotten hurt. There are psycho's out there.'' There was a pause as he was carried further into the apartment. ''Please tell me why you're carrying children. They aren't yours, are they? The blonde one sort of looks like you.''

The woman -er,Cathy, placed him and his brothers on the couch, and took a moment to take off her coat and boots and hang them up in the closet. ''No, Jen, they aren't mine. I found them at the park.''

''What were they doing at the park?'' The banshee was suddenly hovering over his face, and he squinted up at her. ''Hey! This one is awake!'' Seconds later Cathy was kneeling by the couch too, looking at him with that same worried look from earlier, and he wondered why she looked like that.

She slid a hand under his head and lifted him up a little. ''Are you okay, Sweetie? Can you hear me?'' Of course he could hear her, what kind of question was that? But for an answer he just moaned painfully.

''They're soaked, and all three of them are shivering badly, Cathy. We should warm them up,'' Jen suggested. ''And probably feed them too. They're skin and bones.'' Okay, she wasn't a banshee anymore, she was an ANGEL! Yes! Food! Food for Boomer!

Cathy nodded, picking him up in one arm and Brick in the other. His red-headed brother only turned and pressed his cheek into the warmth, sighing. ''Can you hand me him?'' She asked, nodding her head to Butch.

Jen lifted him carefully and placed him in between Brick and himself. ''They're kinda cute...'' She commented.

'WHAT? WE'RE BOYS! BOYS ARE NOT CUTE YOU-'

''They'll be even cuter once they're warm and their faces aren't so flushed. I'm going to give them a nice hot bath. Were you going to stay over, Jen? Or are you going downstairs?''

''I'll go downstairs; I can see you've got your hands full.'' He heard the elevator open and close, so he assumed Jen had left. Cathy carried them into the bathroom, which smelt like strawberries, and reminded him how sleepy he was. She set them down on the carpet in front of the tub and started running the water.

When the tub was full she started to take off Butch's clothes first, and he suddenly realized that if she was going to be giving them a bath, that meant them being naked and letting her wash them.

She set an undressed Butch in in the water, leaning him against the side so he wouldn't slip under before turning to him. He moaned in protest as she pulled the shirt over his head, but she continued on and started taking off his shoes. ''Sorry, Little One, you need to warm up and get clean.''

He didn't put up much protest after that, mostly because he was incredibly feverish and could hardly think straight. Once he and Brick were in the tub she scrubbed them all down gently and wrapped them each in a towel before carrying them off to her bedroom. Boomer watched her with glazed eyes as she went about drying them and combing their hair.

She left for a few minutes, coming back with kid-sized pajamas. ''I borrowed these from a neighbor,'' She said, apparently thinking out loud since she wasn't actually looking at Boomer when she spoke.

She dressed them and tucked them in her bed, placing Brick's cap on the table beside them. Brick wasn't going to be happy when he woke up without it, he thought.

She left again, this time coming back with a bowl full of water and three washcloths draped over one arm. She dipped them in the water and squeezed out the excess liquid before placing them on their foreheads.

The cooling sensation spread through him quickly. It eased the pain in his head and cleared his mind significantly.

Now more aware, Boomer carefully considered the woman sitting next to him on the somewhat large bed. She wasn't looking at him; staring over him at the window and looking out at the night sky. Her hand though, reached over and started to stroke the side of his face. The motion was soothing and once again reminded him of how tired he really was.

The woman's presence was comforting, like his brothers' when they weren't being mean. Barely thinking about it, he shifted so his head pushed up against her thigh, making her glance down at him. She smiled softly and lifted his head to her lap, and he sighed in content. Her lap was pretty comfy.

''You're still awake, right? Can you tell me what your name is?'' Didn't she know? Or was Townsville not actually aware of their individual names?

''Boomer,'' he mumbled sleepily.

''And your brothers?''

''Brick and Butch...''

''How old are you?'' She was stroking his hair now instead of his face.

''Six.'' He didn't know why he was telling her these things; it really wasn't any of her business.

She didn't ask anything else, and his eyelids began to droop. He fell into a peaceful sleep moments later.

He was woken up hours after when he was violently yanked from under the covers and into the air, staring into a pair of dark red eyes. Before he could completely understand what was happening, he was being dragged through the air, just barely noticing Butch in the same boat on Brick's other side, looking utterly confused and sleep deprived.

They flew out the bedroom and down the hall, only to smash into someone's chest. The person wrapped their arms around them and held them to them. Boomer recognized the comforting presence.

Surprise seemed to be the only thing keeping Brick from ripping himself from her hold and continuing his escape.

''Good morning to you too!'' She giggled down at them, and Boomer found himself smiling at her bright demeanor.

Brick abruptly snapped out of whatever trance he was previously in, glaring up at her and pulling himself out of her arms. Butch stayed where he was, having fallen back asleep the second his head had hit her chest and was using it as his pillow.

''Who are you?'' Brick asked sharply. Boomer frowned.

''My name is Cathy,'' she said simply.

Boomer watched Brick tense as his brother shifted his gaze to where he and Butch were clutched in her arms. He looked like he was ready to rip them away from her, so Boomer spoke up, thinking he should at least try stave his brother's anger at the woman who'd helped them. ''She found us and took us here to get us out the rain, and she gave us a ...bath and...pajamas...'' He trailed off uncertainly when he noticed Brick focusing on him.

''I made you breakfast too, since you looked like you hadn't eaten in a while.'' Cathy said, her voice more subdued now. That was all Boomer needed.

He shot out of her arms and straight to the kitchen, letting the smell of delicious food guide his way.

There were three color coated booster seats, and he plopped down in the blue one and dug greedily into the plate of pancakes and bacon in front of him.

Cathy came in a moment later, Butch now awake in her arms and staring at the food on the table, not worried about where he was, how he'd gotten there, or who he was being carried by. There was food and he getting closer to it.

He was placed in the green seat and didn't waste a moment before chowing down, asking no questions and just waiting for things to be explained to him later.

Brick floated in seconds after, looking irritated but not as angry as before, making Boomer wonder what happened in the few minutes he'd left. He sat down without a word and ate the food slowly, though cast a brief glare at the red booster seat before doing so.

As Cathy sat down Boomer looked across the table at all of them, a pang of longing hitting him. Wouldn't it be nice to wake up to _this_ every morning? He and his brothers sitting at a table and eating breakfast. And someone to...

He turned to Cathy, who was delicately cutting her pancakes, unlike Butch who'd just picked them up and ripped off chunks with his mouth, completely ignoring his fork. What was she in this picture? She would be the one who cooked the meals and...took care of them. So, would that make her...

She glanced up at him and smiled; he looked down with embarrassment.

...Their mom?

* * *

><p>Sorry I'm still leaving you with that cliffhanger from chapter two. This was just a bit of back story from Boomer's POV. I'll hopefully be doing two more for Brick and Butch, but for now we'll be continuing on with the main story. I hope you enjoyed this one, though. It was difficult to write because I'd never written an entire chapter in someone's POV while still keeping it in third person. I need a nap.<p> 


	4. I Want A Big Ass Missile Too!

**Title:** For Lost Years  
><strong>Author:<strong> SeBriar**  
><strong>**Summary:** The boys are back after having disappeared for years. They must be up to something, but what? And who's leading these random attacks on the town? It's not the boys, so who?  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> RrB/PpG  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T for now**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Family  
><strong>Details:<strong> Ruffs and Puffs are 16, and for the sake of the story as they grew older they developed fingers, toes, noses, etc.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I most definitely don't own the Powerpuff girls. But man, I wish I did...  
><strong>Chapter Four:<strong> I Want A Big Ass Missile Too!

_Happy reading! Thanks to my Beta, Elizabeth Burke, who managed to get this back to me before Friday even though I was late sending it to her! If not for her, this would've been late. Make sure to get her cookies! ^_^  
><em>

_''Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute.'' ~Gil Stern_

Professor Net spun sharply at the sound of the door opening, bringing light into the formerly darkened room. He tensed when the door closed again and a tall silhouette strode toward him. He turned back to the screen.

''Is it ready, Net?'' The man leaned over his shoulder, and the glow of the monitor in front of him cast over his face, heightening hard features.

Swallowing nervously, Net kept his eyes away from the man's face. ''Y-Yes, Sir. The...uh, special missiles are r-ready to launch.''

From the corner of his eye he could see the man nod. ''Good. They were spotted together two hours ago. Launch them at their current location.''

Net's hands shook over the control panel as he shakily asked, ''Des-Destination, Sir?''

The man knocked his hands away, nearly giving him a heart attack, and quickly typed in the coordinates. ''Now launch.''

Net was having difficulty breathing as he pressed the button to launch the missiles. However, that was nothing compared to how his breath caught in his throat as an image of their targets' location popped up.

''T-Townsville General Hospi-pital?'' He whispered in disbelief as the man stood up turned, his long trench coat billowing as he left the room. The brief light this action produced revealed Net's horrified face as he watched the small dots in the far corner of the screen grow and edge closer to the building. ''What did I d-_do_?''

* * *

><p>The room was uncomfortably silent, not that Brick noticed or cared. He was seated barely a foot from the bed, gaze switching between the woman's face and the burn patches on the hand closest to him.<p>

Next to him, Butch was slumped in his seat, eyes wandering the room in a bored manner before landing on Buttercup. When she felt his eyes on her she turned to look at him from where she stood by the door. He smirked and winked, and she scowled and crossed her arms, looking away.

Bubbles and Blossom were on the opposite side of the bed with Jen, she and Bubbles worriedly watching Boomer while Blossom stared at her counterpart who paid her no mind.

Boomer sat cross-legged on the bed, poking idly at Cathy's feet and looking pitifully guilty.

All in all, they were a silent and sad looking bunch, aside from the two greens who were wordlessly insulting each other from across the room.

''_WELL_.'' Butch said, interrupting the silence and earning glares from everyone except for the two boys too engrossed with staring at the pale figure on the bed. ''I'm going to get some food. Be back in a minute.'' He stole a quick glance at the woman resting in the bed before leaving the room.

Blossom sent Buttercup a meaningful look, and her sister rolled her eyes, muttering incoherently to herself as she followed the green Ruff out.

After a brief awkward silence Jen stood up, saying she was going to stretch her legs, and asked Bubbles and Blossom if they would like to join her. She didn't bother asking the boys, as it was clear they wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

Blossom declined, not wanting to leave the boys without supervision. Bubbles, though, quickly accepted in order to get away from the tension hovering about the room.

They left swiftly, and as the door clicked closed softly behind them Brick finally raised his eyes to meet Blossom's intense stare. ''My brother doesn't need to be watched.''

''Your _brother_ is the reason we're here,'' she retorted.

Boomer's breathing sped up; he clenched one of his fists and rubbed it against his knee. His guilt-ridden expression still never left his face, and he continued gently prodding his mother's covered feet with his other hand.

Brick remained outwardly calm, but on the inside he seethed at how she talked so flippantly about his brothers and his mother being in the hospital. He knew that whatever they'd done was an accident, no matter how pissed off he'd been about it at the time, and that their mother would never blame them for it.

His eyes flickered again to the darkened patches on her hands.

...No matter how many times they'd hurt her.

* * *

><p>''Um...Jen?'' Bubbles started hesitantly. It wasn't her business, but her curiosity was beginning to overcome her. ''How did Dr. Cathy become the Rowdyruff Boys' mother?'' She glanced up at Jen's more or less blank face, and immediately began retracting her question. ''I-I'm sorry! It really isn't my place to ask, is it? I just-''<p>

''It's alright, Bubbles,'' Jen quickly cut in. The young girl sorely reminded her of a younger Boomer, who tended to ramble when in trouble. Now he just stuttered and jumbled his words. ''I don't know all the details, okay? I just know that Cathy had gone for a walk late at night in the rain, and then came back with three soaking wet and feverish boys.''

''Why would she go for a walk in the rain?'' Bubbles asked. Jen snorted beside her and shook her head.

''No idea. Cathy is strange like that.''

They walked on in silence before another question popped into Bubbles's head. ''So...what were the boys like? I haven't seen them in so many years; have they changed much?'' To her, Boomer had seemed more or less the same when they fought; still obnoxiously boyish and a tad arrogant. He'd become quiet since they'd arrived at the hospital, but she supposed that was to be expected.

Jen smiled. ''Yes. Quite a lot actually. Some good, some bad.''

* * *

><p>''You do know I'm not going to go batshit crazy and start a killing spree in this hospital, right? I don't need a chaperone.''<p>

Buttercup kept her mouth set in a thin line as they walked into the food court. Butch shrugged and rolled his eyes, going over to a table where there were desserts laid out. Buttercup stayed where she was, watching him.

Butch was in the mouthwatering process of deciding what type of cake he wanted when he suddenly felt a tug on his jeans. He glanced down to meet two big hazel eyes looking innocently up at him.

''Hi!''

Butch stared at her.

''What's your name?'' The little girl, barely coming up to his knee, wore a lime green hospital gown with matching slippers. Her slightly shaggy dark brown hair made her appear even more pale than she already was.

''Uh...Butch?''

''My name is Mimi! It's very nice to meet you, Butch!'' She thrust her hand out for him to shake, and he did so, feeling slightly foolish. ''How old are you?''

He blinked, wondering what about his baggy clothing, spiky hair, and dark green eyes made him come off as a perfect conversationalist for toddlers. ''...Sixteen.''

Mimi thrust out four fingers. ''I'm this many!'' ...So she could say 'It's very nice to meet you' clear as a bell, but not 'I'm four?' He thought to himself.

''That's, er, nice.'' He was _so_ not good with kids. That was more Boomer's thing.

From where she stood Buttercup kept her eyes on them, ready to jump in if Butch decided to go 'batshit crazy' and hurt the young girl. She continued to watch as the girl chatted animatedly with Butch, who surprisingly indulged her and answered all her useless child questions. (''What's your favorite color?'' ''Green.'' ''Mine's red!'' Smirk. ''You'd like my brother then.'' Beaming smile. ''Your brother is RED?'' ''Yep.'' ''COOL!'')

The next thing Buttercup knew there was a green streak shooting past her and out the door leading outside, accompanied by little girlish shrieks.

It took her a second to actually understand what had just happened, but when she did she cursed under her breath and hurriedly followed.

She followed his trail as he shot up the side of the building, not understanding what he was planning to do with the girl.

Butch touched down on the hospital roof, the child he was holding in his arms giggling hysterically in delight. He smirked when Buttercup landed in front of him. ''Hey, what's up?''

She ground her teeth together before the last of her control flew out the window. ''What's up? _WHAT'S UP?_ WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?''

''Mimi said she'd always wanted to fly.''

Buttercup shifted her gaze to the girl, who was covering her mouth to stifle the giggles. She shifted it back to him, about to yell at him again because that was _so not an excuse_ for taking a four-year-old on a joy ride eighty feet in the air, but Butch cut her off before she began.

''What's that?'' He was pointing somewhere in the distance behind her, squinting his eyes to get a better look. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

''I'm not about to fall for that.''

Butch shook his head, adjusting his grip on the girl in his arms. ''No, I'm serious. There's something headed straight for this place. Two of them actually.''

''Not. Falling. For. It.''

Mimi began squirming in his grasp, and he had to tighten his hold to keep from dropping her. She was staring up at the sky too. ''Hey! There are big dots in the sky...''

Trusting the child more then the teen, Buttercup finally turned and narrowed her eyes. Then they widened in disbelief. ''Are those...?''

''Missiles? _Huge_ ass missiles? Why, yes; yes they are.''

''Missiles are dangerous?'' Mimi asked fearfully.

Butch glanced down at her. ''Yep.'' He said bluntly. Buttercup felt like smacking her forehead.

Mimi stared up at him for a second, but then smiled toothily. ''Well, that's okay. You guys are superheroes! You'll save us!''

Buttercup watched him closely as he furrowed his brow. Mimi continued to look at him with true faith that he was going to protect her, and Butch hesitated before breathing a heavy sigh. ''Yeah, right.'' He went to the edge of the roof and jumped off, floating downward to the ground. ''But just for you,'' he whispered in her ear, making her giggle, then sent her back inside.

Buttercup was watching him from above. He smirked up at her.

''So, we doing this or not? Those things are only getting closer you know!''

She scowled but took off toward the large dots that continued to grow bigger. He took off after her.

* * *

><p>Brick was now making an effort to simply ignore everyone in the room. He was just ready to get out of there, since they'd been told his mother had a bad knot on her head, but was more or less okay. They were just waiting for her to wake up, which would be any minute now.<p>

A low whistling invaded his senses, and he turned his head to the direction of the window behind Blossom. She turned too, wondering what he could be looking at that would suddenly catch his attention. When she didn't see anything she turned back to him, opening her mouth to question him, but he raised a hand indicating for her to listen.

They sat silently, waiting.

There! She could here it now too, and it was getting louder.

Boomer also glanced up when he began to hear the whistling. ''What-?''

''_Arrrrgh!_ IT'S TOO FUCKING HEAVY! I CAN'T-UGH!''

''WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE THINGS _MADE_ OF?''

Their voices were far away, unable to be heard by anyone without their super hearing.

They glanced at each other quickly before rushing out the room.

* * *

><p>''Do you think Dr. Cathy has woken up yet?'' Bubbles asked as they rounded the corner going back to the room.<p>

''I hope so,'' Jen replied.

''Me too. It's been hours already. She should have-'' She broke off in surprise when Brick, Boomer, and her sister suddenly came running out of Cathy's hospital room. ''What's going-''

Blossom didn't falter a step as she grabbed Bubbles' arm and dragged her along with them down the hall.

Jen blinked in surprise as they disappeared around another corner. ''What is going on?'' She continued into her friend's room, and smiled when she saw her stir.

She walked quickly to the bed just as Cathy's bleary eyes opened. ''Jen...?'' She nodded, and Cathy turned her head to the window, frowning. ''Something's wrong. Where are my boys?''

Jen frowned at Cathy's worried look. ''They just ran out of here in a hurry. Why? What's wrong?''

Cathy began to struggle to sit up, and Jen scrambled to help her. ''I..I can hear them, and the girls, faintly. They're shouting. And something's...whistling.''

* * *

><p>''Holy <em>SHIT<em>!'' Boomer shouted as he rammed into the missile behind Buttercup, followed immediately by Bubbles, the booming sound of the missile shooting through the air nearly drowning out his voice.

''THEY'RE TOO HEAVY!'' Bubbles shouted.

''YES, I THINK WE'VE ESTABLISHED THAT BUBBLES!'' Buttercup replied as they struggled to even slow down the projectile which was half the size of the hospital itself. Near them, Butch, Blossom, and Brick struggled with the other missile. ''YOU GUYS ARE THE SMART ONES! COME UP WITH SOMETHING, DAMN IT!'' She called over to them.

''TRYING!'' They called back.

''NO PRESSURE OR ANYTHING,'' Butch started from in front of them, ''BUT WE'VE GOT ABOUT FIVE MINUTES 'TILL THESE HIT AND KILL EVERYONE IN THAT BUILDING! IF YOU GUYS COULD TRY A _LITTLE_ _FASTER_ IT WOULD BE REALLY APPRECIATED!''

Hair whipping wildly around her face, Blossom found it extremely difficult to think.

''HEY!'' Brick said suddenly, ''IF THREE OF US ARE ABLE TO SLOW THEM DOWN, ALL SIX SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO STOP IT!''

''NO! THEN ONE OF THEM WILL BE SPEEDING FULL FORCE AND MIGHT HIT BEFORE WE CAN STOP THE OTHER ONE!'' She retorted.

''WE'RE A LITTLE PRESSED FOR TIME FOR ANY ACTUAL WELL THOUGHT OUT PLANS OF ACTION! DO YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA?''

''I'M SURE I CAN COME UP WITH ONE!''

''THEN DO IT!''

''STOP FIGHTING AND FUCKING THINK! WE'RE BREAKING OUR BACKS OVER HERE!'' Buttercup yelled at them.

Brick stared at the metal he was struggling to keep hold of and lightly tapped it. It was hollow inside, and had it not been shot off like it was would have been quite light to them. The way missiles were designed, if they were bent or misshapen in any way it would throw them off track, depending on how misshapen they were. This type of metal would be hard to bend on its own.

''LET GO OF IT!'' He commanded suddenly. Blossom and Butch looked back at him like he was crazy.

''WHAT?'' They yelled in unison.

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?'' Blossom asked incredulously.

''LET GO AND USE YOUR HEAT VISION SO BUTCH CAN DENT IT! THAT SHOULD MAKE IT SPIRAL OFF COURSE! ONCE THAT HAPPENS IT WILL BE EASIER TO STOP SINCE IT WON'T JUST BE SHOOTING STRAIGHT AT THE HOSPITAL!''

Blossom hesitated.

''OR WE CAN JUST _LET_ IT KILL A TON OF-''

''ALRIGHT! FINE!'' She didn't like putting her people's safety in the hands of a known criminal.

He nodded, turning to the other three. ''BUTTERCUP!''

She glanced at him, squinting as the wind rushed at her face.

''DO WHAT WE DO!'' He told her. Butch and Blossom let go, and he had to hurry and release his hold. They aimed their Heat Vision at it. It wasn't enough to melt it, but it did make it more malleable. ''Now Butch!''

Butch rushed in front of the missile and punched it dead on, denting the nose of it inward and sending it spinning toward the ground. All three of them rushed to catch it, and set it down on the ground heavily, mere yards away from the hospital parking lot.

Buttercup, Boomer, and Bubbles landed next to them, dropping their own metal load harmlessly to the ground.

Panting with exhaustion, they all dropped to the ground and sighed with relief. ''Damn, that was awesome. Can you make me a missile, Brick? I promise I want attack anyone with it.'' Butch pleaded.

''Hell no.''

''Okay, just what was that?'' Buttercup asked once she'd caught her breath. ''Why would somebody target a _hospital_? And with _two _giant missiles?''

''They were probably targeting the three of you,'' Brick answered, lying on his back and staring up at the clouds. ''I can't think of another reason. Unless it was just a terrorist attack, which I doubt.''

''Why would anyone want to attack us?'' Bubbles asked. She received five deadpanned stares and blushed. ''Sorry, stupid question.''

Blossom turned her head to glare at Brick. ''What I want to know,'' Blossom said, ''Is why you would help us out? I doubt you've suddenly decided to become an upstanding citizen.''

Brick glared back at her. ''Our mother and Jen were in there. But back to the main point here; whoever was attacking you indirectly attacked us, which is not okay. Any ideas as to who the guy is?''

Blossom frowned at him.

''What _now_?''

''I don't think I should be discussing this information with criminals.''

Brick arched an eyebrow. ''And exactly what kind of criminal activity have we partaken in during the past eleven years that concerns you so greatly?''

''You nearly destroyed Dr. Catherine's building!''

''It was a god damn accident!'' Butch defended.

''What were you even _doing _that caused a yellow blast to rip who knows how many wholes through the walls?''

''Playing with a blaster, but-''

''You were _what_?'' Brick seethed, sitting up. ''Tell me you did not just say you went into the storage room, _where you're not supposed to be without permission_, and used Mojo's _three ton_ robotic blaster.''

''...Uh?'' Shit.

Butch jumped up and tried to fly back to the hospital, but was tackled out of the air by his redheaded brother. ''And you want me to build you a fucking missile? Are you mental?''

''Hey, I hate to interrupt your brotherly bonding, but what about Dr. Cathy?'' Buttercup pointed out. She and her sisters blinked as the three boys were replaced with streaks of color, quickly heading for the building.

''I don't trust them...'' Blossom muttered as they went back to the hospital on foot.

''I honestly couldn't care less what they do as long as nobody's getting hurt.'' Buttercup said, shrugging with a frown. ''So far, they've yet to hurt anyone.'' She thought for a minute. ''At least not purposely.''

Bubbles stayed silent, thinking over her earlier conversation with Jen.

* * *

><p>While Boomer squeezed the life out of the woman and Butch grudgingly allowed her to ruffle his hair, Brick stood off to the side just watching. He was glad for the natural understanding Cathy seemed to have; she knew 'Public Displays of Affection' was not his thing. There had never been a time when he'd had to tell her not to touch him, because she would just <em>know<em>. It was one of the things he appreciated most about her.

Unfortunately, there had also never been a time when he could appropriately express this appreciation. And no matter what, when she wasn't wearing her gloves his gaze could not stray from her burnt hands.

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you very much to those of you who read the story and those who reviewed. I wasn't sure if too many people would like this story, but I've been getting a pretty decent amount of visitors in Story Traffic, so that's a good sign! :)

My friend pointed this out to me, so I thought I should clear this up _now_. Butch has most definitely NOT suddenly decided to go good and help save the town. He did it for Mimi, for who knows what reason. The other boys haven't either. They just heard their brother struggling and when they saw the missile they helped stop it because Cathy and Jen were still in the building.

It will be a _while_ before the boys show any _real_ interest in the girls, and likewise, because you can't just wake up one morning and decide your previous mortal enemy looks really hot. It's a process.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway, despite the fact that I don't like it, especially the second to last segment. I tried, but it still could've been done better.

I should have the next chapter out in a week. Review please! I could use the feedback! ^_^


	5. Leap A City Block In A Single Bound

**Title:** For Lost Years  
><strong>Author:<strong> SeBriar**  
><strong>**Summary:** The boys are back after having disappeared for years. They must be up to something, but what? And who's leading these random attacks on the town? It's not the boys, so who?  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> RrB/PpG  
><strong>Rating:<strong> Changed back to T for the moment**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Family  
><strong>Details:<strong> Ruffs and Puffs are 16, and for the sake of the story as they grew older they developed fingers, toes, noses, etc.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I most definitely don't own the Powerpuff girls. Meh...  
><strong>Chapter Five: <strong>Leap A City Block In A Single Bound**  
><strong>

_Happy Reading! BIG THANKS TO ELIZABETH BURKE! She made this previously awful chapter readable. ^_^  
><em>

_''Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful.'' ~Author Unknown  
><em>

It'd been a week since the attack on the hospital, and Blossom had scratched off her usual potential villains..

She'd gone through her entire list of suspects, but few of them seemed capable of this kind of attack. The ones that were-Him, Mojo, or possibly Princess-were unlikely.

That kind of attack simply wasn't Him's style; he preferred mind games to outright attacks.

If it'd been Mojo he would have been somewhere in the area, boasting about the brilliance of his plan as they struggled to stop the missiles, and Princess had been in Hawaii for the weekend, so she was also out.

Now she was considering the possibility that it could've been the boys. After all, they did work in a building that produced military weaponry, and Brick had mentioned that very day that he had helped build half the items developed. They seemed to be her best lead, and with her evidence to back it up she was ready to discuss it with her sisters.

Bubbles and Buttercup sat on Bubble's bed as their sister stood in front of them grimly.

''_Uh_.'' Buttercup grunted impatiently. "Stop pouting and just spit it out, Leader Girl."

''I think it was the Rowdyruff Boys.''

Bubbles let out an inaudible gasp, and Buttercup only raised an eyebrow. ''It took you a week to think of that?''

Blossom sat down in between them. ''I was mulling over everything; when I first came up with the theory it didn't make much sense.''

''I'll say,'' Buttercup snorted, ''Why would they help us out if _they_ sent the missiles?''

''And why would they target the hospital while their mother was in there?'' Bubbles whispered.

Blossom crossed her arms, frowning seriously. "I know your talk with Jen has changed your mind about them Bubbles, and you're right it doesn't all make sense, but I'm not convinced. It's possible that they were just using Dr. Cathy for means of a home and food, not to mention access to her artillery and space. Or, they staged the missile attack, knowing exactly how to stop it so as to look good in our eyes and in the eyes of the people.''

"But...Boomer...he was so upset...'' Bubbles muttered faintly.

''It may very well have been an act, Bubbles.''

Bubbles covered her face with her hands, shaking her head in disbelief. There was no way anyone could simply _fake_ grief like that. And there was no way a person could live with someone for so many years and feel nothing for them. She just couldn't believe it.

Buttercup was deciding whether or not to agree with Blossom's theory. Butch had seemed perfectly content to just let the missile crash into the hospital if not for the little girl calling him a superhero and asking for him to protect her. _Would_ he have just let the missile kill everyone, including Jen and Dr. Cathy? Or, was he putting on an act and using the girl as an excuse?

''We can't just confront them about it,'' Blossom interrupted her thoughts. ''They would most definitely deny it. What we need to do is find proof that they can't simply dispute.''

''How would we do that?'' Bubbles asked, defeated. She kept her face hidden by her hands.

Blossom stood up to pace, and Buttercup sat impatiently waiting for her to finish. This was an issue Blossom had always had. She was good at thinking up plans, yes, but it took her a moment to do it. Rarely could she come up with an exceptional one on the spot. Buttercup had seen the panic on Blossom's face when they were trying to stop the missiles, and knew her sister might not have been able to figure out how to stop them.

''They probably built the missiles in Magnesium Industries; the building is definitely large enough. If we could get a hold of the building's security tapes we could catch them.'' Blossom said after several minutes.

''Whatever you say, Leader Girl.'' But Buttercup couldn't help but remember that it was Brick who had come up with the plan to stop the missiles, not her sister.

* * *

><p>Cathy smiled, hands on her hips as she stared down at the first two sets of armored suits. They were pitch black and made of a stretchy spandex-like material. There were thick gray stripes around the neck, gloved wrists, and ankles of the boots. On one was a 'Rr' logo, on the other a 'Pp.'<p>

''BRICK!'' She called out, knowing he would hear her from wherever he was in the building.

Instead of the elevator Brick came flying in from the stairs a moment later. He was wearing a T-shirt and sweats, and only then did it occur to Cathy that it was Sunday, Brick's appointed 'sleep 'till noon day.' His long hair was loose and messy, practically sweeping the floor, and his hat was placed haphazardly on his head.

''Sorry, Honey, I forgot it was Sunday.''

He grunted, looking at her through disheveled bangs.

She smiled apologetically. ''I finished your suit and thought you might like to try it.'' She gestured to the clothing folded on the table.

Brick gave her a deadpanned stare. She pushed the suit into his arms, making a vague hand gesture for him to change as she turned and headed toward the large monitor to give him his privacy.

She typed in a code and several files popped up onto the screen. Brick tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned back to him. She took in his appearance with a satisfied smile. The suit was form fitting, yet breathable for comfort and suited him quite nicely.

''Why did the stripes change color?'' He asked, tugging on a fingerless glove with a red stripe around the wrist where it was previously gray.

As soon as he'd finished putting the suit on the stripes had lit up and turned a vibrant orange before fading to a dark red.

''That was the suit adapting to your genetic signature and verifying who you are.''

He raised an eyebrow. ''_Why_?''

She smiled innocently and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. ''Well...just making an armored suit for the Reality Chamber was boring, so _instead_ I infused the suit with some of your key traits so you can use it as Battle-Ready armor whenever you need it.''

''...What traits?''

''It's almost as heat resistant as you yourself are, it's flexible, and I've encoded muscle memory into from my studies of how you move when you fight. This way, if you're injured and a little slow to make a move the suit will just do it for you.''

He crossed his arms. ''You study me?'' There was a note of irritation in his tone.

Cathy shrugged and reached over to access a file on the monitor. A current photo of Brick popped up, along with a lot of information such as his height, weight, eye color, hair color, favorite food, and superpowers. Underneath that were images of him fighting with his brothers, going back to when he was seven. He glared at the screen.

''I just like to observe you and your brothers when you fight. It's so fascinating, and if this information contributes to developing something that will help protect you I say it's a good thing.''

''What could I possibly need protection from? I've got bullet proof skin.''

''You never know...'' She replied quietly, staring at one of the earlier pictures of Brick and his brothers. Brick was sitting on top of Butch and yelling at him while Boomer laughed a few feet away.

''So who's the other suit for?'' She shook her head to disperse her thoughts, giving him a confused look. ''There was another one on the table.'' He explained, nodding to said table.

''Oh, that's Blossom's. I got the muscle memory from your fight with her a while ago and decided to take advantage of it.''

Brick felt his eye twitch.

* * *

><p>Net's hands shook badly as they hovered over the large red button resting on his desk. <em>'Why is the dangerous button always on MY desk? Why can't it be on Andrew's from down the hall?'<em>

''I suggest you make haste, Net.'' The man said casually. ''Don't you want to be getting back to your family soon?''

Net let his index finger rest lightly on the button, glaring subtly at the man next to him from the corner of his eye.

He added more pressure to the button, pushing it down slowly before removing his hand. He'd pray for whoever was on the wrong end of whatever it was that this button did.

...But he simply could not risk his family.

* * *

><p>From the start, Bubbles was not having a very good morning.<p>

For one thing it was Monday, and nobody likes Mondays.

For another, she was already in a somber mood from yesterday's conversation with her sisters. Tack on running into Princess and being called 'Bubblebutt,' then failing a science quiz you get a not-so-Bubbly Bubbles.

She walked down a third floor hallway, counting the hours left until school ended before pausing. Why was the hallway empty, she wondered. Granted, it was lunchtime; but not for _everyone_, right? There should be some students walking around.

She continued on, intending to go downstairs to check the second floor when the door to the girls bathroom flew open just as she was going past. A girl stumbled out, clutching her neck and hacking violently. Behind her an odd gray gas seeped from the room, spreading along the hallway and making Bubbles' eyes water.

The girl slumped to the ground, unconscious. Worriedly, Bubbles lifted her up and flew toward the stairs and down to the first floor. She froze at the mass panic that greeted her.

People lay all over the hallway as the gas floated over their heads. Others were desperately leaping over them, trying to get out of the building but the toxic fumes were making them dizzy and slowing them down. Most were screaming and others were crying, unable to move.

Buttercup flew past her from the stairs, three people carried on her back and two hanging from her arms as she took them outside. That reminded Bubbles that she had a job to do, and still carrying the girl she grabbed a few more people and made sure they were safely outside.

''What's happening?'' Buttercup asked, coming up to her as they went back inside to get more people. ''I'm minding my own business going to lunch when a stampede of teenagers suddenly try to run me over to get out of the school, not to mention there's this weird ass gas coming from all the bathrooms!''

''I don't know,'' Bubbles replied. A boy her age clutched onto her leg, and she screamed in fear and surprise before he fell over, the gas knocking him out. ''Where's Blossom?'' She asked meekly. There was no way they could get seven hundred and fifty students out of the school by themselves, plus the teachers.

''I don't know! I was hoping you did!'' Buttercup heaved four teens over her shoulder. ''I tried calling but she's not answering her phone!''

Bubbles had to dodge those who were still able to run out of the building themselves to get to the students who still lay unmoving inside the school. Only then did she notice the open bathroom door, spilling out gas like cold air from an open freezer. Sitting on the floor, eyes half-lidded and staring directly at her was Blossom. Her breathing was labored and she was clutching a rectangular device to her chest that seemed to be what was releasing the gas.

There was some type of black mist coming from it too, and as Bubbles neared it she accidentally let some of the strange vapors touch her. Almost immediately, she felt her strength leave her and she dropped to her knees.

Blossom blinked slowly at her before mouthing the words 'Antidote X.'

* * *

><p>''Butch, what are you doing?'' The green Ruff glanced over at his blonde brother who plopped down onto the couch beside him, putting his feet up onto the table. Hayate lounged on the floor at their feet.<p>

''Channel surfing. Nothing's on,'' he muttered, resuming his constant pressing of the channel button on the remote.

The elevator opened and Cathy and Brick strode in, Cathy smiling as usual and Brick scowling at nothing, still wearing his suit. He sat down between the two of them, staring absently at the television as Butch continued to search through the channels.

''I finished your suit, Butch,'' Cathy announced as she went past them and into the kitchen to get something to drink.

_''Yes. _Something to _do_. When can I use it?'' He asked, smirking at the thought of getting to fight monsters ten times as strong as the ones in Townsville.

''Later today; I just need to make some last minute adjustments.''

Butch leaned back into the couch, somewhat disappointed that he'd have to wait.

''Hey, stop! Go back!'' Boomer shouted, snatching the remote from his hand and turning back a few channels. He sat forward as a reporter stepped up, standing in front of a school where kids were slumped over around the outside, some type of gas coming from the doors and windows.

''I'm standing a safe distance away from Townsville High School where it seems some kind of toxic gas leak has broken out through the inside,'' the reporter said. His voice traveled throughout the apartment and Cathy came in holding a glass of water to see what was going on.

''No word yet on what could've caused the gas leak,'' the reporter continued, ''but we can rest assured that the Powerpuff Girls have complete control of the situation.''

Brick snorted at that. This town was stupid to put so much trust into those girls. They wouldn't _always_ be able to save them. The idiots probably would've stood outside gaping like fish when they fought over a week ago if not for their mother bribing the police to keep everyone inside.

Cathy sat down on the arm rest beside Butch, absently running her hand through the boy's dark hair as she stared worriedly at the screen. Butch's mouth twitched as he felt her smooth down his spiky locks before focusing again on the T.V.

At the school Buttercup and Bubbles were constantly flying in and out, dropping people off outside before going back to get more.

''That won't work,'' Brick observed. ''There are too many people in that building for only the two of them. It would take hours to evacuate them all if they're all unconscious. I assume they would have to go looking for some of them too, since they may be in the classrooms or back hallways.''

The next few times only Buttercup came out, looking more and more distressed as she glanced around wildly for her sister.

''Why don't they _help_ them instead of just broadcast it? Firefighters have gas masks right? Well, why aren't they in there?'' Boomer complained, frowning as Buttercup continued to try and save more of the students, looking winded.

''Because Townsville is completely dependent on the Powerpuff Girls to protect them. They don't _know _how to deal with crap like this.'' Brick replied bluntly.

Cathy furrowed her brow, turning to the three of them. ''Why don't you help them out? They might be in trouble.''

She received three blank stares and sighed in disappointment. She may have been able to 'Mother' the evil out of them, but attempting to turn them into anything more than 'public menaces' was more or less a lost cause.

She stood up, retrieving her gloves from her pocket and pulling them on as she shrugged out of her lab coat and let it fall to the floor. She went down the hall to her bedroom, coming back out wearing black tennis shoes and a utility belt with her hair in a ponytail before going to the elevator. She looked over at Hayate, who dutifully went to where she was and hopped into her arms.

''Where are you going?'' Boomer asked curiously.

''The school.'' She replied as the elevator closed behind her.

The boys blinked, sitting still for a moment.

''She's not serious, right?'' Butch asked slowly. ''She can't be serious.''

Brick got up from his seat, walking over to the window and glancing to the ground. His eyes widened. ''She's definitely serious.'' He mumbled. ''_And_ she's crazy.''

''Well, we knew that already,'' Butch said with a smirk. ''You'd have to be a little insane to take us in.''

''That's not a good thing.''

* * *

><p>Cathy crouched low on the sidewalk, ignoring those giving her odd looks. Hayate was clinging to her back mewling desperately in an attempt to persuade her not to go through with what she was about to do.<p>

She glanced back at the hysterical cub. ''No worries, Haya. I've got you in case things go wrong.'' Hayate was not in the least comforted by her words.

She looked up toward the roof of Magnesium Industries. ''It's been quite a few years since I last tried this. I hope I've still got it.''

Hayate clutched tighter to her shoulders and aimed a wide-eyed stare to the top of the building. His master had officially lost it.

Cathy leaped, shooting upwards at least two-hundred feet, just shy of the roof. She bit her lip as she started to fall; she may be able to jump this high but if she fell from here she would more than likely die.

She reached out, snagging onto her windowsill and managing to stall her decent. She strained to keep hold as Hayate whined behind her. ''I-I'm okay, Haya,'' she said unconvincingly.

She heard noise coming from the inside, and looked up to see the window opening. Three heads poked out and she managed a lighthearted smile.

''Hey, boys.''

''How did you get_ up here_?'' Boomer asked incredulously.

''No time to talk.'' She rasped, struggling to press her feet flat against the side of the building. She bent her knees and propelled her body upwards, this time landing safely on the roof. She dusted her hands off, smiling in accomplishment. ''That wasn't so hard.''

Hayate sniffed at her, whacking his paw lightly against the back of her head.

She shrugged. ''Not _too_ hard anyway.'' She jumped over onto the next roof and the next one, making her way to Townsville High School.

Three boys watched her, shock clearly written on their faces.

''Did _anybody_ know she could do that?'' Butch asked, oddly with a wide smile. ''Because I sure as hell didn't! Do you think she can fight too?''

''I doubt it,'' Brick mumbled, climbing out the window. He turned back to his brothers as they followed him out of the apartment suite. ''And I don't want you asking her to spar; you know she'll say yes.''

Butch pouted. ''Well, how are we ever going to know what all she can do with that Chemical X inside her if we don't try it out?''

''She can't fly and she can heal injuries, that's all we _need_ to know,'' Brick said, taking off toward the school.

''He sucks the fun out of _everything_,'' Butch complained, following after him.

Boomer frowned to himself as he flew behind them. He thought back to the news broadcast, wondering if Bubbles was okay...

* * *

><p>Buttercup was definitely not okay. In fact, she was read to pull her hair out with frustration. Where the hell were Blossom and Bubbles? She hadn't seen Blossom since lunch, and Bubbles had just disappeared somewhere, leaving Buttercup to try getting all these people out by herself.<p>

By now most of them were out cold so all she had to do was carry them out, not have to dodge around several panicking, but that was little consolation considering she could only pick up so many of them at a time, and there were still somewhere around five hundred of them left.

Just as she was dumping the latest load out front parking lot, scowling at the camera crew that seemed content to just watch her struggle, she was rammed into, pushed face first into the dirt.

''Buttercup?'' The person on top of her asked. Her response was a muffled curse, and the person quickly stood up. ''Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Buttercup! Here let me...''

They pulled her up by the arm before proceeding to dust the dirt off her clothing. She stared, not entirely believing who she was seeing. ''Dr. Cathy?''

Dr. Catherine, straightened and tried to smile, though it turned into more of a pained grimace. Hayate peeked out from behind her hair, staring curiously at Buttercup. ''I came to help out,'' Cathy said, rubbing her bruised side. Yes, she could definitely scratch off 'pain resistant' on her list of what the Chemical X allowed her to do.

Buttercup stared blankly at her. ''_You_?''

Cathy walked past her and into the school, used to skepticism in her abilities from Brick. ''Yes, me.'' She felt the gas wash over her as she entered, a wave of dizziness nearly making her loose her footing. She reached into her utility belt, pulling out two miniature gas masks. She reached back to put one on Hayate before doing the same for herself.

Now able to breath sufficiently she continued on, Buttercup following her. ''What are you going to do? I've tried carrying them out...''

Cathy glanced back at her. ''I think the first thing to do would be shutting off whatever it is producing the gas. Once that's done the school will be able to air out. It's apparent that the gas was only made to comatose, not kill. If the gas is gone they might wake up.'' She said, gesturing to the people she was taking care to step over. ''Do you know what's causing the gas?''

''I know it started inside the bathrooms. All of them, I think.''

''Good,'' Cathy said, walking into the first bathroom she saw, which was a boys' bathroom.

''Up there!'' Buttercup shouted, pointing above the stalls to the rectangular device where the gas was pouring from. She flew up to it, tugging it off the wall and flying back down, handing it to Cathy. ''What now? Do you want me to crush it?''

''No, wait...'' Cathy stared at it for a few seconds. The blinker in the top right corner that was previously flashing with a gray light suddenly changed to black. Black mist suddenly erupted from the device, swooning around Cathy.

''Dr. Catherine!'' Buttercup called out in alarm, but Cathy held out a hand to stall her.

''Back away, Buttercup. This is Antidote X.'' She ordered sternly. _'It's too bad Antidote X has no affect on __**defective**__ Chemical X...'_

Buttercup did back out to the doorway, but scowled angrily at the floor, clenching her fists. ''So this was meant for _us._'' She growled. 'Us' meaning her sisters and herself.

''I would assume so,'' Cathy mumbled. ''This may be why Blossom and Bubbles have disappeared; they could've been doused with Antidote X. Without their superpowers they would be susceptible to the gas and simply pass out wherever they were at the time.'' She threw the device to the floor, ignoring the way the blinker suddenly turned red and started flashing rapidly. ''Now you can destroy it.''

Buttercup wasted no time in blasting it to bits with a Fist-Beam.

* * *

><p>''Wow, this place is a mess,'' Boomer observed. They flew over the many bodies of unconscious students and faculty, looking around for any sign of their mother or pet lion. He rubbed at his irritated eyes. ''Uh! I hate this stuff! Where's it coming from?''<p>

''It's coming from the bathrooms,'' Butch said, pointing to one bathroom in particular with its door open and heavily spilling the gas.

''Right then,'' Brick said, coming to a halt in the middle of a hallway. ''Spread out. Boomer, take the third floor, Butch second. I'll search this one.''

"Yes, sir!'' Boomer said, saluting before flying up a nearby stairwell. Butch only rolled his eyes and followed him.

Brick began checking all the bathrooms, ignoring the gender-specific doors in his search. He circled the entire floor before finally coming to the last bathroom. He landed lightly on his feet and strode in without a care before freezing in place.

In front of him, on the disgustingly dirty floor of the high school bathroom, were the two unconscious and slumped over figures of Bubbles and Blossom. The latter was clutching steadfastly to the device that was causing the gas leak. He recognized the mist that was coming from it for what it was, Antidote X, which was why he hadn't gone any closer.

He'd only ever seen Antidote X in the form of mist once, and it wasn't exactly an experience he wished to relive.

What should he do? He wondered. He _could_ just leave them there. It really was no concern of his if the gas actually turned out to be toxic from prolonged exposure. He'd come to find his mother and pet, not save the student body.

Blossom let out a shallow breath, and it occurred to him that the gas mixed with the chemicals from the antidote probably _was_ toxic from the close range with which she was holding it. With a frustrated sigh, Brick temporarily resolved the debate with his psyche, and walked closer. The antidote was not spreading like the gas, only hovering around the two girls, so he was able to stand almost directly over them.

Looking down at them, they were both pale, looking almost sickly. Blossom's bow was rumpled and their clothes were dirty from the grime of the bathroom floor. While Blossom lay on her side Bubbles was in the extremely uncomfortable and awkward looking position of being on her back with her legs bent underneath her. He assumed she'd passed out while on her knees.

He stared at Blossom's face for a few seconds longer than he needed to. What an odd time to take in the details of her face. Her eyebrows, drawn in with her discomfort. Her normally intense pink eyes, hidden behind thin eyelids which were shut tightly. Her mouth, normally in a thin line to display her serious, overactive brain at work, was instead settled in a light frown.

He shook himself violently from his thoughts, mentally berating himself. She was the town hero, and more or less everything he despised, her physical appearance aside.

With careful aim he blasted the devise from Blossom's hands, and it slid across the floor and collided with a wall. Brick waited a moment for the gas and Antidote X to clear away from them before reaching down and wrapping an arm around both girls' waists.

Only then did the rapid red blinking of the device catch his attention. He hefted both girls into his arms and blasted the device with an Eye-Beam before walking out the bathroom.

* * *

><p>AN: This was originally longer, but I didn't want to cram everything into one chapter, so I split it in two.

As a heads up, the next few chapters may be slow to update, because my Beta is having trouble finding time to get online. It shouldn't be too long, but I just wanted to make sure you guys were aware.

I don't like this chapter because it's the product of me pushing through writers block. I think the next chapter is better; not only because it flows more smoothly, but it's just more interesting.

Also, if the chapters start to get too late, I can post oneshots, hm? How does that sound? I have one typed about the boys and Cathy, but I'd be happy to take RrB/PpG requests. Any combination is fine. (Reds, ButchXBubbles, etc.) Just tell me which pairing and what you want it to be about. It's summer; I've got nothing but time.

See you guys next time! Review please!


	6. She Just Knows

**Title:** For Lost Years  
><strong>Author:<strong> SeBriar**  
><strong>**Summary:** The boys are back after having disappeared for years. They must be up to something, but what? And who's leading these random attacks on the town? It's not the boys, so who?  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> RrB/PpG  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T for now**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Family  
><strong>Details:<strong> Ruffs and Puffs are 16, and for the sake of the story as they grew older they developed fingers, toes, noses, etc.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I most definitely don't own the Powerpuff girls. If I did you wouldn't be reading these fanfics, you'd be watching new episodes.  
><strong>Chapter Six: <strong>She Just Knows**  
><strong>

_Happy Reading! _

_''We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood''. ~William James  
><em>

The second floor had been empty, so Butch went up to the third to find and possibly mess with Boomer. He was checking the bathrooms, all of which seemed to be strangely absent of the gas. There was only the faint bit of it hovering in the air above him.

As he neared the bathroom at the end of the hallway he could hear talking, and quickly recognized the voices. He opened the door, where Buttercup and Boomer were pressed up against the wall next to him while his mother peered curiously at whatever it was she was holding. It was spraying her with black mist, but Boomer seemed disinclined to go close, so he figured he should stay back as well.

''Why_ are_ you guys standing over here?'' He asked. They glanced over at him, then back to the device.

''That thing is spritzing out Antidote X,'' Boomer replied. ''Only Mom can go near it.''

''And it's not doing anything to her?'' Butch asked with bewilderment. Buttercup frowned at him in confusion.

''Why would it?''

Butch paused, knowing he'd said something he shouldn't have. Buttercup narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, and from her other side Boomer made desperate motions for him to keep his mouth shut.

''...I just thought it wasn't safe for average humans,'' He answered slowly. It was obvious that Buttercup wasn't buying it, but she didn't question him further.

''Here you go, Buttercup,'' Cathy said, dropping the device to the ground with a sigh. Buttercup destroyed it with a Fist-Beam, and they all followed Cathy as she walked out the bathroom.

''So you guys are just destroying all of those...things?'' Butch asked.

''Yes. It's best to get rid of them all first. When that's done the building should air out on its own if we open all the windows. The gas doesn't seem too thick, so once it reaches the open air it should disperse,'' Cathy replied, leading them to the next bathroom.

It took them an hour to destroy the rest of the devices, and an extra five minutes to open every window on every floor.

As they exited the school they were greeted by Brick, who leaned casually next to the front door.

Buttercup's eyes widened at the sight of her sisters propped up against the nearest wall and not moving. Quickly jumping to conclusions she angrily threw a punch at Brick, who managed to catch it with an exasperated look bordering on sour.

''So this is the thanks I get for rescuing them?'' He scowled down at her surprised face and dropped her hand. ''Next time I'll know not to bother.'' He stepped away to allow her to collect her sisters and awkwardly lift herself into the air. She tossed him a cautious glance before facing Cathy.

''You'll call the fire department for me?'' She figured her work was done now that nobody was in immediate danger, so the rest was the city's job to take care of.

''Of course,'' Cathy replied. Buttercup nodded. She threw a look at Boomer and Butch who were standing off to the side. Boomer raised his hands in innocence and stepped back, not wanting to invoke her wrath. Butch just smirked at her, and she scowled in reply.

She looked back at Brick, muttering a quick 'thanks' and sped off for home.

Brick frowned._ 'I'm still never helping them again. I don't even know why I did it in the first place...'_

Butch watched Buttercup's disappearing form for a moment, as if considering something. He glanced back down as a gloved hand was shoved in front of his face. Taking in that it was fingerless with its signature yellow stripe around the wearer's wrist, he verified the glove belonged to his mother just in time for her to demand, ''Cellphone, please? I left mine at home.''

* * *

><p>Blossom stared dispassionately at the syringe as it broke the skin of her upper arm. She could feel the chemical spread through her veins and her power return; she breathed a small sigh of relief.<p>

''Buttercup told me it was one of the Rowdyruff Boys who found you and Bubbles in that bathroom.'' The Professor spoke as he sterilized and put away the syringe. He offered her a knowing look. ''Brick, she said.'' Blossom didn't respond. She only slid down from the table she'd sat on and made her way upstairs.

The Professor shook his head to himself. He knew next to nothing about what was going on. One afternoon his daughters come home looking scratched up and oddly quiet. Then a _lion _rings his doorbell (and jumps him) to escort his girls to somebody named Catherine Magnesium's establishment. _Then_ the same woman is in the hospital and that same hospital gets_ attacked_. And a week later Townsville High is gassed with some knock out toxin and Antidote X? And two of his girls are rescued by the Rowdyruff leader? Yes, he needed some answers, and he had a moderately good idea of who to get them from.

He picked up the phone in his lab with the same phone line as the one upstairs, and scrolled through their recent calls they'd received.

* * *

><p>''I think they're trying to appear as if they've become heroes to get into the good graces of us and the citizens,'' was the first thing their sister said when she came into the living room. It didn't take much to figure out who she was referring to.<p>

Bubbles was facing a lot of conflicting emotions at this point. How could she not? The boys fight them, then they help them, then their potential suspects, then they help them again. She tried to believe in the good in everyone, but it was hard with her sister shoving facts down her throat.

Buttercup had no real thoughts on the matter. She'd been faced with evidence from both sides and would go along with whatever their leader had in mind for now as she reserved her judgment.

Blossom walked in front of the couch, blocking the television. With a quick roll of her eyes Buttercup clicked it off and tossed the remote next to her on the couch.

''We need proof. To get this proof we will sneak into the security room of Magnesium Industries and look at the tapes to see if there's anything we can go on.''

Bubbles shifted uncomfortably. Buttercup crossed her arms. ''_Great_,'' She drawled. At Blossom's indignant look she waved a hand to stall her from arguing. ''No, really, it's great. I just wanna know _how_ we're gonna do this. It's a very important place right? Won't they have, like, maximum security?'' They could be stealthy when they had to, but Buttercup knew that wasn't really her area of expertise. What if they were caught?

Blossom calmed. ''I've considered this. I took the liberty of scouting for guards during our visit there; there were none. It's very likely that there will be very few, if any at all, during the later hours.''

''How come?'' Bubbles asked quietly.

''When you think about it, they wouldn't have much need for actual security beyond camera's and systems. They have the Rowdyruff Boys living under the same roof; anyone trying to infiltrate would be finished off in seconds.'' She paused, taking in her sisters' skeptical expressions. ''We'll go late tonight when the boys will most likely be asleep. We're fast enough to avoid being seen clearly by the cameras, which would've been the only alert the boys would have at such a late hour.''

_'I don't like this,'_ Bubbles thought in regard to the plan, but she didn't voice it. She glanced at Buttercup, who was entirely deadpanned about the situation, where as usually she would be freely voicing her own opinion. She couldn't imagine Buttercup simply having _nothing_ to say about this. It just wasn't like her sister.

Buttercup could feel Bubbles' eyes on her profile but decided to ignore her. She knew she was acting strange and she knew Bubbles would be the first one to pick up on it. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything she could do about that.

* * *

><p>Jen blew her bangs out of her face and let her head drop into her folded arms, heaving a deep sigh. It seemed like there was always something new for her to do, be it supervising the repairs on the building (which were only just finished this morning) or having to deal with the other duties being a secretary to a million dollar military industry such as this one entailed.<p>

Cathy didn't want to work her this hard but Jen insisted on taking up all the duties Cathy herself was too busy to do. The blonde was always either working on one of her projects or dealing with her wayward sons, both of which took a lot out of her friend.

Jen frowned into the cushion of her sleeves at that thought. Cathy had been held up in her lab a lot more than usual lately, and she could see it starting to take a toll on her friend's energy.

Cathy chose that moment to enter the office she shared with Jen, and gave her friend a pat on the head as she walked by. Jen peaked out from her arms, giving Cathy an exasperated look. ''Where have you been?''

Cathy sat down at her own desk, sighing tiredly as she slumped in her chair. ''Nowhere special,'' She murmured, closing her eyes and massaging her temple.

Jen sat upright, watching the younger woman worriedly. ''How bad was it?''

''Ugh,'' Cathy breathed, leaning her head back on the chair. ''Bad. I was jumping rooftops.''

By this time Jen knew not to ask about the things Cathy did, but couldn't help herself this time. ''_Why_?'' She asked incredulously.

''Faster,'' Was all that was said in reply.

''You didn't get worked up, did you?'' Jen felt the need to ask. Cathy _seemed_ okay...

''No. I know what would happen.'' Cathy's Chemical X may be more under her control, but it still wasn't stabilized. If at ANY time Cathy ever got too worked up about anything it could prove disastrous. That was why Cathy always kept a relatively calm demeanor.

They both started in surprise when the phone rang, and Jen quickly answered it if only to get the noise to cease.

''Magnesium Industries, secretary Jennifer Carlfer speaking.'' Cathy watched as her friend frowned into the phone before presenting her with it. ''Professor Utonium is asking for you.''

Cathy took the phone with a raised eyebrow and pressed the receiver to her ear. She listened for several seconds before responding. ''No, I don't mind. What time?'' A short pause. ''Alright. I'll see you there, Professor.'' She handed the phone back to Jen for her to hang up, and shook her head warily.

''What did he want?'' Jen asked.

''He wants me to meet with him at his home tomorrow morning. He says he has some 'concerns' regarding the girls' visit here.'' She made the physical air quotes where appropriate. ''I can guess what this is going to be about, and I better not here _one_ word about my precious babies,'' She murmured crossly. Jen chuckled.

Those boys were _never_ precious.

Well maybe...-no, not even Boomer.

* * *

><p><em>'Three in the fucking morning,' <em>Buttercup thought angrily as she threw on a green hoodie and loose black jogging pants. Her hair stuck up at odd angles from the hour and a half of sleep she managed to catch. _'And I still have to get up at seven for school. Dammit, Blossom.'_

She exited the room and met Bubbles coming from the bathroom as they headed down the stairs together. Her sister was dressed similarly, with her blonde hair pulled back into a quick ponytail. She looked exhausted and ready to get this over with as they reached the living room where their sister waited for them.

Blossom, who'd never gone to sleep, looked far more cleaned up then they did, aside from the dark circles beneath her eyes. ''Ready to go?'' She asked.

''Yes,'' Bubbles mumbled tiredly.

''_No_.''

Buttercup was ignored.

Reaching the expansive building was no problem, and neither was entering it since the doors were still open. Apparently the place was one of those 'twenty-four hour' companies.

Nobody was in the hallway, so they quickly zipped down the hall, avoiding the cameras. They assumed the room they were looking for would be on the first floor, and they were proven correct when they eventually came to a door labeled 'Security Room.'

Blossom opened the door slowly and peaked in. There was surprisingly nobody watching the large set of monitors, so they quickly entered and closed the door behind them.

Blossom and Bubbles walked up to the pile of tapes off to one side, and Buttercup stayed by the door as a lookout.

''I found the tape for Dr. Cathy's lab,'' Bubbles whispered and handed the tape over to her sister.

''Good job, Bubbles.'' Blossom pushed the tape into a nearby VCR, and watched as the previously dark screen in the middle lit up with the recorded image.

For several minutes they watched Dr. Cathy work on projects in her lab and every once in a while the boys or Jen would come in, but would leave soon after. Blossom had to wonder exactly how much time Dr. Cathy spent in her lab, for she only seemed to leave it for short intervals.

After a while, Blossom pressed fast forward so they wouldn't waste time watching the mundane comings and goings. A few times a group of people would enter the lab with Dr. Cathy and help her with her projects, but they far in between.

Soon, the tape began getting closer to date, and Brick began to show up more often.

He would change into some kind of suit and he and Cathy would enter into a room adjoining the lab. Hours later they would exit and go upstairs, then Cathy would come back down again.

Suddenly the tape went blank, but only for a few precious seconds. Blossom paid close attention when the image came back. This was another camera at a different angle, and wherever this person was standing they could only see black gloved hands and the edge of a table.

The hands disappeared for a moment, then returned with an object that Blossom immediately recognized. So did her sisters, if Bubbles' gasp and Buttercup's enraged growl were any indication.

''So it was _her_,'' Buttercup said harshly, though she remembered to keep her voice low. ''All this time it was _her_! And to think I- God _damn _it.''

''No, not Dr. Cathy. She was so nice...'' Bubbles whispered in disbelief.

''I should have suspected such. You simply can't adopt the Rowdyruff Boys and not be involved with criminal activity.'' Blossom muttered, shaking her head.

''But the boys weren't-!'' Bubbles started, but Blossom cut her off.

''They _had _to be in on it Bubbles. Did you see how often Brick went into that room with her? It was probably large enough to hold the missiles. And I _know _you just saw her creating that device that released the gas and Antidote X. Dr. Catherine built those things and unleashed them on the town, and then the Rowdyruffs came and helped us save the day. It makes sense.''

''No...'' Bubbles moaned in despair. ''What about Jen?'' She was almost afraid to ask.

Blossom hesitated, thinking for a moment. ''I...don't think Jen was part of it. She never entered the room, and she was hardly ever in the lab.''

''So what are we going to _do_?'' Buttercup asked impatiently. _'I can't believe I ever believed for a second that Butch...God, I'm so stupid.'_

''We can't take her to jail ourselves; I have no doubt that would end up in an all out fight with the Rowdyruff Boys, and we're going to avoid that in light of what that could do to the city. We'll have to go to the police and allow them to take care of it.''

''And how exactly would the _police_ handle this?'' Buttercup asked skeptically.

Blossom stared blankly at the screen. By now the scene had changed again and Cathy was rummaging around in a file cabinet. ''I saw what happened the day Boomer and Butch destroyed most of the first floor. If presented with enough evidence I believe Jen would come to reason and side with us. Boomer and Butch listen to Brick, and Brick listens to Jen.''

''This doesn't seem _right_, Blossom,'' Bubbles argued. ''I know people, and Dr. Cathy most definitely isn't a bad person; I can tell! She would never have-!''

''_Bubbles_,'' Blossom interrupted solemnly. ''I know you liked Dr. Cathy, but you can see the evidence. Nobody else around here wears black gloves but Dr. Cathy. And nobody goes into her lab without her.''

''Lets get out of here,'' Buttercup hissed. ''It's been over an hour; we're pushing our luck as it is.''

_'It wasn't her, _Bubbles thought fiercely. She _knew_ people; it wasn't her fault that her sisters never listened to her about these things. _'It wasn't her. Or the boys. I know it!' _

* * *

><p>Their eyes glowed in the darkness as they watched them rush out the room; fast enough to normally avoid detection, but slow enough not to leave a visible streak of color.<p>

They waited until they just barely heard the front door swing shut before coming out of the shadows and entering the room previously invaded.

If those girls thought they'd be stupid enough not to have _any_ security they were dead wrong.

Boomer pressed a button on his watch to stop it from vibrating. It was courtesy of him that they'd managed to catch the girls trespassing.

Boomer's specialty was electronics and security. Setting up a system to warn you when any of the doors leading into the building opened inward after one a.m. was very practical. People only left after that hour; nobody ever came in.

He'd decided not to alert the security staff they had on hand and just woke his brothers so they could check it out themselves.

''What's out of place, Boomer?'' Brick asked, gesturing around the room.

Boomer gave the room a once over, eyes immediately landing on the pile of tapes. He walked forward, picking up a tape that was haphazardly put back into it's original place. It was turned slightly to the left, which wasn't the way he'd left it. He popped it into the VCR, standing back and watching the screen.

''Why would they want to watch Mom's lab?'' Butch asked after a moment of watching their mother go about her daily activities.

''They think she's involved with all that's happening,'' Brick replied, narrowing his eyes. The girls hadn't rewound the tape before putting it back, so it was currently playing from where they'd left it. He pressed the 'rewind' button, going back several hours before pressing 'play.'

It was silent as they saw the image of their mother go black and be replaced with hands working on the devices from earlier in the day.

''What the hell...?'' Butch asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. ''Who the hell is that?''

''Well, it's not Mom,'' Boomer said definitely. ''Mom's gloves are fingerless, and they have a yellow stripe on the wrist. These are regular gloves and they're completely black.''

Brick nodded. ''But the girls don't know that. They've probably never paid attention to her gloves; they just know she wears them.''

''So they think _Mom_ made that?'' Boomer asked worriedly.

''Probably.''

It was silent for a few seconds as they mulled that over, until Butch spoke up. ''Wouldn't it be cool if she _did _though?''

Boomer gave Butch a distressed frown, and Brick raised eyebrow.

Butch shrugged with a sheepish grin. ''I just thought it would be awesome to have a mom who was also a secret criminal mastermind on the side. She'd be building _all kinds_ of dangerous weapons so she could-''

At his brothers' dry looks he broke off, crossing his arms in irritation.

''Fine. _Whatever_. Take away all the joy from my fantasies.''

''This is _serious_ Butch; they think Mom is the one who sent the missiles and gassed the school,'' Boomer pointed out.

''_So_?''

''She could get in trouble.''

''_Soooooooo?''_

''Give it a rest you two. I'm going back to bed; I don't have time for this shit at four-thirty in the fucking morning.'' Brick turned on his heel and left. Butch rolled his eyes and followed him out.

Boomer began leave too after putting the tape in it's proper spot. Then, as an after thought, pressed a button on the VCR to show the image of the camera in the security room. The girls probably hadn't noticed it, since not many people would bother to put a camera in this particular room, but Boomer was nothing if not thorough.

After rewinding it he watched the girls for the duration of their visit, easily reading their lips to pick up their on conversation.

_''So it was her. All this time it was her! And to think I- God damn it.''_

_''No, not Dr. Cathy. She was so nice...''_

_''I should have suspected such. You simply can't adopt the Rowdyruff Boys and not be involved with criminal activity.''_

Boomer frowned at that one. Granted, they weren't saints, but just because the rules of society, manners, and the other things he'd lacked when he was younger had taken him quite a long time to fully grasp didn't mean he wasn't a better kid _now_.

_''But the boys weren't-!''_

_''They had to be in on it Bubbles. Did you see how often Brick went into that room with her?''_

Boomer would admit, he didn't really know all of what Brick and their mother did in there, but he was fairly sure they weren't building missiles or anything of the like.

_''So what are we going to do?''_

_''We can't take her to jail ourselves. We'll have to go to the police and allow them to take care of it. If presented with enough evidence I believe Jen would come to reason and side with us. Boomer and Butch listen to Brick, and Brick listens to Jen.''_

He scowled, and at this point he couldn't say he was very fond of the Powerpuff leader. They weren't dogs trained to act on Brick's beck and call, and Brick would never let anyone take their mother, no matter what. For that matter, Jen's their mother's best friend; she wouldn't be persuaded to go against her so easily.

_''This doesn't seem right, Blossom. I know people, and Dr. Cathy most definitely isn't a bad person; I can tell! She would never have-!''_

_''Bubbles.''_

It would seem Bubbles was their only ally in this situation. Perhaps with her help...

''Boomer!'' Butch called, poking his head into the room. ''Brick said to get your ass upstairs because it's late. You can update your security protocols or whatever after the sun rises.''

Boomer sighed, stopping the tape and glancing at the paused image of Bubbles defending her opinion against her sisters'.

_'Yes,' _He thought, _'Maybe she could help._'

* * *

><p>I somehow managed to get this out in time, but I make no promises for chapter 7. This was self beta'd, so I hope there weren't too many mistakes. Please tell me if you saw any.<em><strong><br>**_

_**Fun Facts!: **_(Not really, but I was bored)_**  
><strong>_

Chapter One: _I'm terrible with fighting scenes. I had to watch the PpG movie and the Rowdyruff episodes four times before something clicked and the fight started to play out in my head by itself._

Chapter Two: _I hardly had to do any research for the stem cells explanation for Hayate. We can all thank South Park for doing their homework._

Chapter Three: _Throughout the chapter I was thinking about the booster seats. I honestly couldn't resist. Like I said, I was watching the PpG movie over and over. The girls' seats were cute, and I had to have them. _

Chapter Four: _Surprisingly, the entire chapter came from one five second scene in an old Batman episode. Joker has a rocket with a clown face with a creepy smile. This somehow got me thinking missiles and...yeah._

Chapter Five: _This was the result of pushing through writers block, so I didn't have much in mind other than, 'Okay, only a thousand more words. Make some conversation. Tense situations. Oh no, my mind is going blank! Must. Make. Progress!' _

No facts for Chapter Six, but I will say this is currently my favorite chapter out of all of them, because I believe it's the best I've written so far. Correct me if I'm wrong. :)_  
><em>


	7. No Restrictions

**Title:** For Lost Years  
><strong>Author:<strong> SeBriar**  
><strong>**Summary:** The boys are back after having disappeared for years. They must be up to something, but what? And who's leading these random attacks on the town? It's not the boys, so who?  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> RrB/PpG  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T for the moment**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Family  
><strong>Details:<strong> Ruffs and Puffs are 16, and for the sake of the story as they grew older they developed fingers, toes, noses, etc.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> If I owned the PpG..I...huh. Well, I might kill off Floyd and Lloyd, but that's just me.  
><strong>Chapter Seven: <strong>No Restrictions**  
><strong>

_Happy Reading!_

_''Mad, adj: Affected with a high degree of intellectual independence.'' ~Ambrose Bierce_

''Why are we here?'' Falman asked impatiently. ''Where's Dr. Magnesium?''

Brick leaned forward in Dr. Catherine's office chair, elbows resting on the desk and mouth hidden behind interlaced fingers. ''Busy,'' he stated shortly.

''Then why are we here?''

''I called you here,'' came the blunt reply.

Next to Falman, Hopson and Smith shared knowing glances. Curr raised an eyebrow, wondering if she should be taking this seriously.

Falman apparently shared her thoughts. ''What business does a kid have calling a meeting like this? I have work to do.''

Hopson and Smith edged away from him, choosing to stand closer to Curr. She leaned in close to Smith and asked in a whisper, ''What's wrong?''

''Falman is about to learn a very valuable lesson. Pay close attention.'' Smith whispered back with an amused quirk of the lips. Hopson chuckled on his other side.

Brick and Falman stared at each other. The former's look more of a deadpan and the latter's more of a glare.

Falman averted his gaze first, scowling and turning around as he headed for the door. Brick smirked victoriously.

The tall, somewhat lanky, scientist managed to open the door about an inch before a hand reached out and slammed it shut. His eyes followed the hand to the teenage boy leaning against the wall in front of him, one hand resting on the door and the other in his pocket, a light frown settled on his face.

Who was this kid and what right did he have to block his exit? ''Move, Brat,'' Falman snarled.

The blonde did not look the least bit fazed. ''Brick's not finished yet.''

''I'm not going to let a couple of kids order me around; move you little punk.''

''I don't think so.''

Someone snorted from Jen's desk, and Curr and Falman jumped in surprise. Hopson and Smith shared an amused look.

_Newbies._

The boy at the secretary's desk, leaning back with his feet resting atop it, had a hand over his mouth and was holding back a laugh. Curr could've sworn he hadn't been in the room a second ago...and neither had the blonde kid now that she thought about it.

''I called the four of you here because you all are the only group of trusted scientists Dr. Magnesium allows in her lab.'' Brick stood up, regaining their attention. He walked around the desk and stood in front of it, arms crossed. ''I have reason to believe that one of you were using the lab and its equipment to create the machines responsible for the panic at Townsville Highschool yesterday.''

''Excuse me,'' Curr interrupted, her voice strong despite the uncomfortable stare she was receiving from the redheaded teen. Brick obviously didn't much care for interruptions. ''Who are you? What right do you have to accuse us of anything? Do you work for Dr. Magnesium as an assistant or something?''

Brick scoffed. ''Assistant? No. Partner? Yes.''

Butch snorted again, and Brick sent him a scathing look. Butch raised his hands in an innocent and placating gesture. ''What? You _know_ if you said that to her-''

''Shut up, Butch.''

''Why do you think it was one of us?'' Smith asked, genuinely curious. Smith was a well-built man in his forties. He'd lost most of his hair at an early age and now wore it in a thin come-over. It had been quite a few years since he'd first come to work for Magnesium Industries and he was a good friend of Cathy herself and was therefore privy to all the boys' shenanigans. The only one who'd been there longer than him was Hopson.

Brick turned to him and frowned. ''I have camera footage of someone building the machines in the lab, but I can't identify them. It wasn't my brothers or myself, it wasn't Ms. Carlfer, and it wasn't Dr. Magnesium. You four are the only suspects left.''

* * *

><p>Cathy rushed out of the bathroom, hopping to pull on a boot with one hand while the other finished buttoning her tunic. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she'd yet to put on her gloves.<p>

Once again she'd forgotten to set her alarm clock and for some reason Butch hadn't woken her up like he usually did when this happened.

All three boys were mysteriously absent from the apartment, despite the fact it was only ten in the morning. She hoped whatever it was they were doing that it wouldn't bring trouble. It was rare that all three of them would be involved in anything mischievous together these days, but she wouldn't put it past them.

Hayate slept on the couch in the living room, stretched out on his back with his little paws stuck up in the air. So adorable.

She walked briskly into her room, grabbing her gloves from her bedside table and tugging them on. She then went back to the bathroom to dry and comb her damp tresses.

Once finished with the ends of her hair curled at her waist, her bang curving around half her face, and headband resting atop her head she made her way to the elevator. She decided to leave the little lion cub on the couch to sleep instead of taking him with her today. After yesterday he'd probably had enough adventure for a while.

Cathy was sure she was already late for her meeting with Professor Utonium. Perhaps one of her boys would be willing to give her a lift?

She stopped just short of pressing the button to go down when it buzzed sharply, indicating someone without a key was trying to get into the suite. Assuming Butch had simply forgotten his key again she opened it.

''FREEZE!'' Cathy stepped back, flabbergasted, as police officers invaded her apartment. Hayate twitched from the couch.

_'I swear, if this has anything to do with them-'_

''PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!'' One of the officers commanded, the barrel of his gun pointed directly at her. She did as told, hesitantly raising her hands over her head so as not to provoke them.

_'-those boys are so grounded.'_ Then, as an afterthought,_ 'I guess I'll be missing my meeting with the Professor then.'_

As she was escorted roughly into the elevator she saw Hayate out of the corner of her eye. The cub jumped down from the couch, glaring silently at the men surrounding her, but smart enough not to make a scene about it.

'Find the boys,' she mouthed to him and Hayate nodded sharply to show he understood. Then the doors closed in her face, cutting off her view of her apartment and little friend, who was sprinting toward the large window in the kitchen that led to the fire escape.

* * *

><p>Bubbles stared forlornly at the top floor from outside Magnesium Industries, very much wanting to turn her gaze away. Buttercup paced impatiently behind her while Blossom discussed something with an officer nearby.<p>

She sighed, deactivating her X-Ray Vision with a blink. ''They got her,'' she mumbled, just loud enough for Buttercup to hear. Her sister scowled down at the ground and came to a stop beside her.

''Good.''

Bubbles did not agree with that sentiment, but knew her opinion would be overruled by her sisters'. ''The boys weren't there; I don't think they're aware of what's happening yet.''

''Good.''

It was most definitely NOT good. They were sending an innocent woman to jail and taking away a parent! Bubbles wanted to scream at her sisters. She was torn.

It was an unspoken rule that she was supposed to go along with whatever Blossom ordered, but this time Bubbles knew her sister was wrong, despite how rare an occurrence their leader thought that was.

On the other hand_, _could she really going to go through with this? Could she really do something that she knew with every fiber of her being was the_ wrong thing to do_?

She took another look inside, spotting Dr. Catherine who stood in the slowly descending elevator with her wrists cuffed behind her back and a solemn, yet confused frown. She was swarmed by angry police officers and if Bubbles was correct, one of them had his gun trained on her.

No, she couldn't. She _wouldn't_ go through with this.

She walked quickly to the front door of the building and went inside, ignoring Buttercup's disapproving look.

When she turned left Dr. Cathy and Jen's office was at the end of the hallway. She could see the woman step off the elevator across from it, guided by a handful of police officers.

As she neared them she heard a commotion and what sounded like growling from the office. She was several feet away from the elevator when the office door slammed open, revealing Butch looking quite feral, followed by a tense Boomer, and lastly Brick, who lacked any kind of expression.

The police officers raised their guns at them, but the boys' focus was trained on the one officer whose gun was firmly planted in the small of Dr. Cathy's back.

''What's going on?'' Came Brick's steady voice. Despite his more or less blank look his eyes were hard; understandable if your pet lion suddenly busted -fully grown- through the window from the fire escape and began growling and snapping anxiously in the direction of the door.

Well, she had come to help, so the least she could do was give him a bit of an explanation. ''Blossom believes that Dr. Cathy is the one responsible for the gas leak at the school, so she's having the police arrest her.''

Brick did take note of how she said 'Blossom believes,' implying that she herself did not share her sister's view.

''Where's her proof?'' He asked.

Someone other than Bubbles answered his question, her tone flat and face mirroring his own detached expression. ''I have video evidence.'' She held up a tape that was no doubt confiscated from their security room.

Boomer frowned as he stared at it. He didn't much care for people messing with his things and this was the _second_ time she'd broken in there, and this time she'd even taken his property.

Bubbles looked warily between her sister and the three boys. Going by their body language, none of them seemed ready to listen to reason.

Buttercup came to stand next to her a moment later, arms crossed and gaze directed unwaveringly at Butch. He snarled at her in return, feeling as if this were some form of betrayal. He would of thought that after saving the hospital at least _she_ would have seen that they'd changed.

Blossom strode confidently to stand directly in front of Brick, blocking his view of his mother, who was remaining oddly silent given the circumstances.

All Brick could think was_, 'This is what I get for doing a fucking good deed.'_ He knew should have just left her in that damn bathroom.

Butch looked ready to spring, be it at Blossom, Buttercup, the police, or anyone else who got in his way. The first two tensed in preparation, but Brick held his brother back with a firm grip on his shoulder. Butch fought against the restraining hold but stilled when he caught sight of his leader's face, hardened in anger and eyes bleeding a dark red; unnatural compared to its usual lighter shade.

The red Ruff somehow managed to keep his voice level despite his barely concealed irritation. ''It wasn't her.''

''Of course it wasn't,'' Blossom immediately deadpanned.

''_Blossom_,'' Bubbles mumbled in warning when Brick stiffened, but the former villain didn't hear anything else after that; blood had rushed into his ears.

That had set him off. He was perfectly prepared to give a list of facts explaining _why_ it was impossible for his mother to be the criminal, if not for that _statement_; the way she'd mocked him. The way she mocked his _intelligence_ with that simple play of words and tone of voice. He could never again stand for her mocking his intelligence like she had when they were children.

He removed his hand from Butch's shoulder. The action was deliberately slow, and the underlining meaning did not escape either of his siblings.

_All previous restrictions lifted. Go fucking psycho._

Blossom furrowed her brow in confusion as Brick broke eye contact with her, allowing his bangs to shadow his face as he turned away. She felt a cold shiver go down her spine, as did her sisters and many of the officers. Everyone shifted their attention to Butch.

Butch's grin was inhumanely feral, and his body began to convulse as he set his sights on the redheaded Puff. It had been _years_ since he'd felt this way; the true need and want for carnage was present and the silent order from his leader was undoing the years of rationale Cathy had (somehow) managed to instill in him.

To put it in lesser words: Butch was returning to his old crazy self -as proven by the return of his habit of violently twitching with blood lust- and he'd just been given_ permission_ to go crazy.

He lunged at Blossom before it even registered in anyone's mind that he'd moved, slamming into her with such force that it sent them both crashing through the recently repaired wall; Blossom dropped the tape.

They landed far out in the middle of the street and Blossom gasped as the breath was roughly forced out of her when Butch smashed her back into the black concrete. Cars swerved around them desperately and fearful shouts could be heard from the pedestrians surrounding them.

She struggled fruitlessly under his grip, eyes wide with a tinge of fear when she realized just how much stronger than her Butch was.

Butch grinned as he raised a fist with the intent of doing damage to her face, but was suddenly shoved off her and into a nearby parked car.

Buttercup's scowl was full of unchecked malice as she stood over her sister. She offered her a hand but kept her eyes set on Butch, who was raising himself out of the automobile wreckage.

Blossom took the offered assistance and pulled herself up to her feet. Instead of glaring at the one who had knocked her down she directed her hateful gaze to the red Ruff, who she could clearly see through the hole their impact had made.

She suddenly caught sight of Butch charging at her from the side in an attempt to catch her off-guard, only to be intercepted by Buttercup.

The two went down in a tumble of punching, biting, and scathing retorts, rolling further into the street and startling drivers who tried to avoid them.

Butch ended up on his back with Buttercup straddling his waist as she attempted to bash his face in. He easily overpowered her and switched their positions, holding her arms down and using his body weight to keep her legs from kicking him off. She stared up at him in a brief moment of shock before scowling, twisting and turning as she tried break free.

Butch smiled down at her, the glint in his eye clearly showing his amusement at her struggling. With a growl, Buttercup tried to blast him with an Eye-Beam, but he simply leaned out of the way.

Back inside, the officers stood around dumbfounded, unsure of what they should be doing. One officer held his hand firmly over Cathy's mouth as if afraid she'd bark some sort of command that would send her sons into even more of a destructive frenzy, at which she rolled her eyes.

At this point, perhaps ten minutes after the fight started, Hopson and Smith calmly strode out of Cathy's office, followed closely by the wide-eyed Falman and Curr. They led the younger scientists down the hall and out the front door, where the rest of the building's occupants were evacuating slowly and efficiently, as if this were an everyday occurrence. Hayate excited last, small again, and simply padded over to Boomer. The blonde Ruff lifted him up and deposited him on his head. The lion cub looked frustrated as his gaze settled on Cathy, who was still at gunpoint.

Brick watched Blossom, tensed and prepared to fight if she expressed any desire to do so. She, in turn, glared back at him. He was tired of the way she thought she was superior to him and was ready to prove her wrong now that the chance for such a confrontation had arrived.

''I was right,'' she said, as if it were _impossible_ for this not to be so. She was several yards away but he still heard her as clearly as if she were five feet in front of him. ''You three are just no good criminals and will always be such. It's obvious you lack the capability for anything else.''

That last bit was directed specifically toward _him_, he knew, and it pissed him off. He ground his teeth together in a show of trying to hold back his temper and not fly completely out of control like Butch had.

Blossom lifted an eyebrow at his constraint, suddenly seeming very confident. ''But of course, it's always been that way. Hasn't it Brick?''

Bubbles and Boomer, who were standing mere feet away from the red Ruff, could _feel_ the waves of anger pouring off him before he snapped completely, disappearing from their side in a flash of red. The police officers flinched in surprise. Cathy couldn't help herself and again rolled her eyes.

The entire situation felt like a joke taken _way _out of context and she just wanted to leave. She also found herself wishing that Jen was there. _'Really, Jennifer! Of all the days to go grocery shopping. Since when do you go shopping this early in the morning?'_

''This will not end well for your sister,'' Boomer mumbled to his silent counterpart.

Bubbles glanced at him worriedly, ''Why's that?''

''Brick rarely loses his temper, so when he _does_ not much registers in his mind other than what set him off.''

True to form, Brick shot forward at Blossom with a single-minded conviction the likes of which none of them had ever seen the redhead display in the past. He more or less used his body as a battering ram and simply flew straight into her. They ended up going through the wall of a building across the street from Magnesium Ind.

Blossom hit the tiled lobby flooring roughly as Brick stood over her, his knuckles white from clenching his fists

By now, the streets and most of the buildings in the area had emptied. No citizens wanted to be out and about in this section of the town where the irate super powered teenagers were trying to duke it out.

''Take it back,'' Brick growled, sounding menacing.

Blossom raised herself onto her elbows, staring up at him defiantly.

_'Oh, this is not good,'_ Cathy thought to herself since she still couldn't voice her concerns with the hand covering her mouth. _'Butch has lost all sense of reason and Brick is in a rage.'_ She looked over to Boomer, who was stiff and ready to help if his brothers needed him, but otherwise held no interest in participating in the battle.

Cathy evaluated her options. She could try to break free, but there was still the issue of the gun pressed against her back. They thought she was a criminal so they might not hesitate to shoot her if she resisted._ 'Damn.'_

''TAKE IT BACK, DAMMIT!''

Why couldn't the stupid girl just take it back? Did she truly consider him to be the same idiot he had been when he was six? He had changed! He had worked his ass off until he considered himself her equal, and then went BEYOND that!

''No,'' she said with conviction.

Blood leaked from his palms as his fingernails dug deeply into his skin. He began to shake.

He had no idea how much he apparently wanted her to _see_ how much he had improved. He wanted her acknowledgment that he had become just as smart as she was.

She, however, refused to give him this. Instead, she mocked him and implied that he had not changed at all. She thought he was still the stupid kid who couldn't even spell 'dumb!'

Brick audibly ground his teeth together, his face burning red from anger. ''Fine!'' He snapped. ''I'll show you how much I've fucking changed!''

He pulled back a fist, and Blossom tried to scramble to her feet in order to dodge, but he moved faster then she had anticipated.

He landed a brutal punch to the side of her head. Not only did it knock her unconscious on the spot, it sent her hurtling through the building's lobby and crashing into a desk on the other side of the room. The force caused the desk to split in half and scatter documents all over the floor. The phone and computer fell with a noisy clatter, the monitor shattering and spreading bits of glass. Blossom was completely buried beneath it all.

Brick panted with leftover frustration and began to stalk toward the mess with the intention of dragging the Powerpuff leader out, smacking her back into consciousness, and demanding she take back her words.

''ENOUGH!''

Brick stilled in surprise, the shout cutting through his thoughts like a knife. Outside, Butch and Buttercup froze, the latter still trapped beneath the former.

Cathy looked up as best she could with the hand covering her and practically anchoring her head to the officer's chest. Boomer winced and rubbed an ear.

Everyone looked at Bubbles, who was seething. She'd stepped forward to stand directly in front of the gaping hole in the wall of Magnesium Industries to glare out at the three teens.

''I'M SICK OF THIS!'' The officers, Cathy, and Boomer winced again, being the closest to her.

''Bubbles, we're kind of in the middle of a fight,'' Buttercup murmured, and Butch nodded fervently in agreement, half-crazed smile still in place. It was enough to take Bubbles' anger up to an even greater height.

She _still_ wasn't really listening to her. Buttercup _still _thought that whatever she had to say was inconsequential, and she was sure Blossom would have thought the same if she'd been awake.

The blue Puff half snarled at her sister. Buttercup's eyes widened. ''YOU. WILL. _LISTEN. _TO ME,'' she bit out. Bubbles let her gaze slide to Butch, then over to Brick meaningfully. ''_ALL _OF YOU.''

The redheaded Rowdyruff leader looked particularly peeved and Butch just looked amused, but all three nodded collectively. The girl looked pretty pissed off herself.

She nodded sharply, glad she had their undivided attention, and turned to the officers.

''Release Dr. Cathy. She is innocent.'' They scrambled away from the blonde haired woman in fear of the blue Puff's wrath, the one holding her even shoving her away from him in his haste.

Boomer growled in warning at their mistreatment of his mother. Cathy herself only sighed with relief now that the weight of the gun had been removed, and moved to stand next to Boomer. ''Thank you, Bubbles,'' she said sincerely as Boomer fussed over her, checking for injury. Hayate also mewed worriedly.

''Bubbles, no!'' Buttercup protested, struggling again against Butch's grip, but he refused to relent. She was inwardly surprised by his strength. _'Is...he stronger than me now?' _Granted, because Butch was male and built to be stronger he had always had a slight edge, but this was different. It felt like he was miles ahead of her now.

''_Yes_.'' Bubbles replied, her anger simmering down somewhat. ''Dr. Cathy is innocent; neither she nor the boys are behind the attacks.''

''You don't know that!''

''I _do _know that!'' Bubbles snapped. All at once the bit of resentment she had been feeling for her sisters as of late crawled back up to settle uncomfortably in her chest. ''You always doubt me; you and Blossom! You never believe me when I say I'm sure of something. You think because I act naive all the time that I must be too dense to understand anything, but I do!''

''We don't...'' Buttercup began halfheartedly, but Bubbles immediately cut her off.

''I'm _TIRED OF IT_!'' She shrieked, a little of her Sonic Voice seeping unintentionally into her tone. It was enough to not only make those in the hall with her cringe in pain, but Butch and Buttercup also flinched. Even Brick, who was the farthest away, grimaced slightly.

''On _that_ note,'' Cathy cut in swiftly before anything had the chance to escalate again. She'd most definitely seen enough fighting and anger in the last twenty minutes than she was ready to deal with. ''We should probably get going.'' She looked pointedly at Butch and Brick as she said this.

''Aw, damn,'' Butch whined. Bubbles' outburst had taken some of the edge off of his bloodlust, but he still wanted to continue his fight. Buttercup glared up at him, still pinned down.

Brick glanced back to where Blossom was buried, then stepped silently through the large whole he'd made and out into the street.

As he passed by the two green super powered teens he snagged Butch by the collar and began to pull him behind him and off of Buttercup. She didn't look especially grateful when she sat up and scowled.

Butch, despite his disappointment that he wouldn't get to finish her off, grinned at her much like a lion would a a tiny deer, even going so far as to lick his lips. ''To be continued, Bitch,'' he said cheerfully as he was dragged to the other side of the street, giving her a farewell salute.

''Up yours, Bastard!'' She yelled back. She clenched her fists but otherwise didn't make a threatening move. She only stood up and continued to scowl and glare at their retreating backs.

They stepped past Bubbles, who offered them a brief glance, and continued on to their mother's side.

Cathy pinched the bridge of her nose and looked up to the ceiling in an attempt to keep calm as they stopped in front of her.

Boomer watched her worriedly. ''Are you alright, Mom?''

''Fine, Hun,'' she murmured. ''Just more than ready to go. The place I have in mind isn't too far.''

With a slight frown Boomer floated behind her and lifted her by her arms a few inches into the air. Brick followed their example, keeping a firm grip on Butch's shirt should the green Ruff decide to break off and go after his counterpart again.

''Wait!'' They turned back to Bubbles, who's features were set with determination. ''I want to go with you.''

''Bubbles, _NO!_'' Buttercup shouted with disbelief. Her sister ignored her.

Cathy's expression took on a stressed look. ''Bubbles, I would love it if you came with us, but what about your sisters and your father? Won't they be concerned?''

''I'm a big girl,'' the blonde said bluntly. ''I can take care of myself.''

Unsure how to debate that, Cathy sighed mentally. This was truly one of the most demanding days of her life. At least number five or six on the list, she was sure.

''Alright then,'' she relented. ''You're free to come along if that's what you want.'' She felt as if the side of her face would burn from the angry glare Buttercup was shooting her.

_'If looks could** mutilate**...'_

Bubbles went to hover in the air beside Cathy and Boomer. The latter of the two offering her a grin before taking off at full speed with his mother in tow. Bubbles followed without a moment's hesitation.

Brick cast the silently seething Buttercup a sideways glance. ''Tell your sister this isn't over.''

''_Bastards_,'' Buttercup growled, unable to say anything else with her teeth clenched so forcefully.

Brick followed the dissipating streaks of blue, still holding on tightly to Butch. The green Ruff stared intently at Buttercup as they flew away, still smiling somewhat creepily. Brick shook his head in exasperation. It had been a bad call on his part to lift _all_ the restrictions. It would take some serious work to get Butch back to normal again.

Buttercup was hit with a wave of hopelessness that just made her want to tear something apart as she watched her sister disappear into the distance. She warred with herself over following and attempting to bring her back, then decided it was probably pointless.

Bubbles wouldn't come back unless she wanted to, and nothing Buttercup could do would change her mind.

Anyway, she had to go dig her unconscious sister out from under that broken desk. Blossom was going to be _so_ pissed.

..She didn't even want to think about what The Professor would say.

* * *

><p>AN: I hope we all enjoyed that. I tried to make it a bit longer to make up for the long wait. I had family issues when I got back from my vacation that prevented me from writing much.

Now, I would like to ask everyone again to please pop over to my profile to vote on my poll about which story I should focus on next if you haven't already done so. I've added new story summaries to the list. Here's a brief bit of those summaries:

**1) **Brick attempts to take over the world. RrB/PpG, Rated T-M for gore

**2) **Prequel to FLY detailing the lives of Cathy and the boys in their earlier years. Rated T for language

**3)** Post apocalyptic Townsville (of an unconventional sort). ButchXBubbles, Rated T

**4)** Blossom dies in child birth, leaving Brick to raise their child with the help of their siblings. Minor Greens and Blues, Rated T for language and probable violence

**5)** Three girls are accidentally gifted with Project Rowdyruff, a set of AI (Artificial Intelligence) programs. RrB/PpG, Rated T. Girls have no familial relation

**6)** Him prays upon Boomer's secret want to be as strong as his brothers to take over Townsville. Blues, Rated M for gore, violence, language, ...alot of bad stuff. An expansion of 'Emotionless' from Idiosyncrasy.


	8. You Scowl, I Smile

**Title:** For Lost Years  
><strong>Author:<strong> SeBriar**  
><strong>**Summary:** The boys are back after having disappeared for years. They must be up to something, but what? And who's leading these random attacks on the town? It's not the boys, so who?  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> RrB/PpG  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T for the moment**  
>Genre: <strong>Romance/Drama/Family  
><strong>Details:<strong> Ruffs and Puffs are 16, and for the sake of the story as they grew older they developed fingers, toes, noses, etc.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> You don't want me to own the PpG because if it was _mine_, there would be drama and gore and minor character deaths. Just saying.  
><strong>Chapter Eight: <strong>You Scowl, I Smile

_Happy Reading! Applause for my beta, Elizabeth Burke! Oh, and read the AN at the end for me, okay?_

"This is the place," Cathy announced with false cheer. They were many miles away from Townsville, located in the upper-class suburbs of Hollywood, California.

They stood in front of what looked like a large vacation home. The house was painted a cream color with a large porch expanding across the front. There was also a wide and freshly cut lawn. From the outside Boomer could easily tell it had at least three floors.

"I hate it here," Boomer deduced, after only a minute of staring at what would be their new temporary abode.

"I think it's lovely," Bubbles gushed, her foul mood all but nonexistent once she'd set her sights on the quaint little summer house.

"It's only for a bit; once things have cooled down in Townsville and I find enough evidence to prove my innocence," Cathy explained with an apologetic smile.

Boomer crossed him arms but didn't say anything else. He knew he would be miserable without any of his security equipment, or anything else to occupy his time. Perhaps he would take up hacking again…

Cathy gave them both a wide smile, one she often used when she was obviously stressed out but wanted to put him and his brothers at ease. "Well, let's at least go inside while we wait for Brick and Butch to catch up. I have a few phone calls to make as well."

"What kind of phone calls, Dr. Cathy?" Bubbles asked curiously as they followed the older woman into the house.

"Well, for one, I have to get some of my projects shipped over here, and let Jen know we're all okay before she gets back to M. Ind. and panics. I also have to arrange transportation for Hayate, since we didn't have time to grab him before leaving."

"WHAT? WE FORGOT HAYA?" Boomer exclaimed, his expression morphing from petulant to one of utter horror.

* * *

><p>Blossom sighed and shut her text book angrily. She briefly entertained the thought of starting on her biology report, but decided against it. She obviously wouldn't be getting any work done tonight; at least not school-wise.<p>

Instead, she stood up from her desk and walked briskly down the stairs. Buttercup sat on the couch, perched comfortably in front of the television with a can of orange soda resting against her lips as she stared, captivated, at a live broadcasting of a wrestling match.

Blossom went right past her sister and out the door, grabbing her jacket on the way.

She hadn't spoken to her sister since the day Bubbles left.

* * *

><p>It had been three days.<p>

Three days since his little girl had practically disappeared off the face of the Earth.

He had absolutely no way to contact her (she wasn't answering her cell phone, not that he expected her to) and therefore no way to know if she was alright.

The Professor lifted his head away from the table. His hair was disheveled and the skin beneath his eyes had been darkened with stress and lack of sleep. He rubbed at one eye and yawned tiredly, glancing around his lab for something -anything- that could help.

He rose to his full height and stared ahead at the table littered with beakers and test tubes, lost in thought.

His girls weren't doing any better than he was. Blossom was refusing to speak to her sister and Buttercup stayed held up either in her room listening to music or on the couch watching TV.

* * *

><p>The room was a bit smaller than their Virtual Reality training room back at Townsville's Magnesium Industries, but they were reluctantly making do.<p>

Fully dressed in his combat suit, Brick dodged a blast from the simulated Monster. It was fairly larger than all of the computer generated buildings, and its appearance closely resembled that of a lizard with the long neck and head of a pterodactyl.

His giant opponent opened its beak-like mouth in preparation, before releasing another devastating blast of orange energy in his general direction.

Far below the monstrosity, Brick dived away, just barely keeping on his feet when confronted with a follow up attack.

He slid to a stop in front of Dr. Cathy, who stood in the room without fear of any harm coming to her. Her pen flitted across her clipboard as she took notes on his progress.

"You've gotten swifter, Honey," she praised. "You also made it to level seven without flying in only an hour and twenty minutes; definitely a record."

Outwardly, Brick only gave her a half shrug.

Inwardly he swelled with pride.

"That's good for today," she announced, using her remote to deactivate the simulation and return the room to its normal white-tiled appearance.

Brick wanted to protest that he could've gone on for much longer, but he knew Cathy would probably refuse.

The Training Room in their vacation house (one that the boys weren't aware that they'd even owned until recently) took up almost the complete interior of their basement, with there only being a narrow passage directly perpendicular to the stairs with enough room to either walk inside the enclosed space, or stand outside and watch through the reinforced glass.

They excited the room together, going straight up the stairs and entering the kitchen.

Butch sat at the table, eating his typical breakfast of a bowl of Frosted Flakes and grumbling lowly. Oddly, Boomer was not with him, which was the usual for a Friday morning.

"Where's Boomer?" Brick addressed his brother as he strode over to a cabinet to get a glass, and then over to the refrigerator with the intent of pouring himself some orange juice.

Butch crunched loudly on his Frosted Flakes, but gestured with his spoon toward the living room.

Brick walked in the direction he'd indicated, sipping his juice as he went. Cathy chose to stay in the kitchen and make herself a cup of coffee.

When he entered the living room, separated only from the kitchen by a hallway that led to a bedroom and bathroom on the left and a bedroom along with a flight of stairs to the right, he stopped short just beyond the doorway.

"Okay, so I get that all security is basically wired to that watch…"

"That's a simple way of putting it-"

"However, what I don't understand is how it can still work when we're hundreds of miles away from Townsville."

Brick sipped silently, watching as Boomer sighed, shifting on the couch next to Bubbles in order to face her in preparation of what was sure to be a long and complicated discussion.

'_One I'm certainly not interested in hearing_,' he thought, turning sharply on his heel and going back into the kitchen.

Bubbles living with them and trying to help prove their innocence was something he found himself tolerating. The blonde more or less stayed out of his way, and in return he acted as if she didn't exist. He liked to pretend that the sister to the bane of his existence wasn't staying down the hall.

He clenched his fist at the thought of the Powerpuff leader. He'd been doing so well these past few days by carefully blocking her from his mind, that everything from Tuesday was rushing back at him full force.

He growled quietly, his eyes unconsciously glowing. The glass in his hand shattered from the force of his grip, but he paid it no mind; even as orange juice dripped down his fist.

Cathy chose that moment to enter the hallway with the intention of going to her bedroom. She paused next to Brick, raising an eyebrow at the fragments of glass littering the floor. However, she just pat his shoulder lightly, earning a sideways glance. "I think whatever it is you're thinking about will turn out to be something truly not worth the temper tantrum you're having now."

He narrowed his eyes at her, his eyes seeming to glow brighter beneath the shadow of his bangs as he probably took offense to what she had said. If she didn't know any better she'd say he was growling at her.

She smiled softly and moved to stand in front of him. She knew he wasn't in the mood for physical contact, so she kept a two foot distance for the moment. "I'm not trying to imply that whatever's making you angry _doesn't matter_. It's probably just not worth the level of anger you're giving it."

His expression hardly changed, so with a sigh Cathy decided that she'd better just let him calm down on his own. When she turned to continue on to her room a hand grasped her wrist firmly, but gently. She turned back to Brick, who had his head bent to the floor.

With an uncomfortable tightness in his chest the redhead noted that she was once again without her gloves. "Sorry," he mumbled, for more than just taking his anger out on her. He lifted his eyes to see her face, and noticed she was still smiling.

"You're always forgiven, Honey," she said simply. In all honesty, it only made him feel worse.

* * *

><p>Butch dropped down on to the couch from where he had been floating above it. His heavy landing made the remote bounce up into the air, and he caught it reflexively. He debated whether or not he actually wanted to watch TV, but decided he'd rather play videogames.<p>

He got off the couch and went over to the TV, which stood on a wooden cabinet that held his games and their appropriate systems. Pulling out his Xbox 360, he quickly hooked it up and popped in a racing game. An hour went by with him beating his previous record on the newest course he'd unlocked.

Bubbles entered the room nervously just then, standing some feet away from where he sat on the couch. When he didn't immediately tell her go away she assumed her presence wasn't holy despised and sat down.

Butch was in the middle of the couch, leaning left and right along with his black Lamborghini on the screen. Bubbles was as close to the edge of the couch as the armrest would allow, not wanting to distract or anger him.

Butch shot up and whooped with joy when he beat all of the computer cars to the finish line. He threw the controller to the carpeted floor -watching his strength as he did so- and began lifting into the air and doing a victory _moon walk _with his eyes closed.

Bubbles couldn't help but think it was funny, and had to throw a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from giggling.

A tiny squeak unwillingly escaped her, and Butch froze, dropping down to his feet on the floor. He stared at her a moment and Bubbles shrunk back, fearing that now he would be angry at her for watching him.

"When did you get here?"

Bubbles blinked confusedly.

Butch crossed his arms and sat back down on the couch, his eyebrows furrowed as if he were thinking deeply about a complicated math problem. "I didn't know you were here. When did you get here?"

Not knowing what to think about Butch's seemingly nonviolent attitude, Bubbles answered hesitantly, "A few minutes ago…"

He smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Well, damn. Either you're just freaky quiet, or I need to pay more attention to stuff when I play videogames."

Bubbles gave a small smile as Butch stood up and grabbed another controller, tossing it to her.

"You any good at fighting games?"

She shrugged, still smiling. _'Maybe he's not all that violent after all.'_

Ten minutes later, Butch's Warrior brutally bit off her Mage's hand and spat it to the ground, destroying the rest of her life meter. The green Ruff joined his character in cackling evilly at the fallen Mage, who sat crying on the ground while her wrist poured a hefty amount of virtual blood.

'_Perhaps I spoke too soon,'_ Bubbles thought nervously, inching ever so slightly away from the excitable boy beside her. _'Note to self, hanging out with Butch is scary. Best stick with Boomer.'_

* * *

><p>Bubbles followed Boomer as he led her down the hall from their bedrooms, feeling a tad exasperated with her companion. Boomer stopped beside the door at the end of the hall, newly labeled 'Security Room' on a shiny metal plate. He opened the door and gestured for her to go inside. She rolled her eyes as he held the door open for her."What exactly is it with you and security, Boomer?" Bubbles asked, glancing skeptically around the room. On one side was a giant monitor with a split screen, showing images of the kitchen, basement, hallways, and every angle of the outside of the house.<p>

In front of the monitor was a long table with four chairs tucked into it. It was also cluttered with miniature camera parts and tools.

Boomer closed the door behind them and pulled out a chair for Bubbles before plopping down into one himself.

Bubbles sat down next to him and raised an eyebrow, still expecting an answer.

Boomer sighed heavily, folding his arms behind his head and averting his eyes. "We had a few…_problems_ with security some years ago."

"What kind of problems?"

Boomer looked uncomfortable with the topic, shifting in his seat. "About seven or eight years ago someone managed to infiltrate Magnesium Industries at a late hour, when our security was at its weakest. Mom ended up getting kidnapped. _Twice_."

"She _WHAT_?" Bubbles exclaimed, shooting up from her seat with incredulity. "She was _what_? In a house full of super powered kids?"

Bubbles deflated slightly when Boomer began to look visibly upset. She knew she had said the wrong thing.

"Yeah," Boomer confirmed, his voice bordering a whisper. "I was asleep the first time and Butch was out helping Jen run errands because she had to carry some heavy stuff."

"Where was Brick?" Bubbles asked, sinking slowly back into her chair. She watched as Boomer's face took on a pained expression.

"He was home with me."

"Was he asleep too?" When he shook his head slowly she tilted her head to the side, confused. "Then couldn't he have protected Dr. Cathy? What was he doing?"

Boomer removed his arms from behind his head and leaned toward the table, folding them on the surface as he stared ahead at the split-screen monitor as if in a daze. Bubbles had a feeling that whatever she was about to hear would not be pleasant.

He paused to watch the object of their conversation venture from her bedroom and down the stairs toward the living room. Butch was on the couch and she bent down to kiss the top of his head. He embarrassedly swatted her away while she laughed and ran a hand through his hair affectionately.

'_She really loves her boys…' _Bubbles thought to herself. As Cathy continued into the kitchen Butch gave the tinniest of smiles when he thought no one was looking. _'And they love her too. Why can't my sisters see what I see?'_

"I don't know exactly what he was doing, but I assume it was studying, since he likes to study in the kitchen," Boomer continued. "The thing is, back then Brick didn't _like_ Mom. In fact, he kind of hated her. That's pretty much how she was kidnapped so easily; besides our poor security. He just didn't help her."

"I-but-… that's _terrible_," Bubbles gasped. "Why would he hate her? And how did you save Dr. Cathy?"

"That's a topic for another day, Bubbles," Boomer said pointedly, letting her know that any discussion on Brick was over at this point.

Bubbles frowned but nodded, not wanting to pry.

"To answer your second question, we didn't. She saved herself. The guy who kidnapped her only made it down the street before Mom kicked him in his lower regions and took off like a bat out of hell. Butch thought that part was hilarious, but she didn't," he finished, chuckling a bit himself.

Bubbles couldn't help but smile at his amusement.

"Anyway, that's why I care so much about our security. If she somehow got kidnapped again because I was too busy sleeping and we didn't have enough security guards, I don't know what I'd do."

"Wait, what about the second time?" Bubbles asked. Boomer closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

"Another time, Bubbles."

* * *

><p>It was a pretty cool day, she noted absently. She had worn a jacket just in case and was thankful for it as she buried her hands deep into its pockets.<p>

She continued to bounce the soccer ball on her sneaker clad foot as she stood in alone in the empty park. The nearby swings creaked softly in the chilly breeze and the leaves danced around her in a dazzling display.

Nature and its beauty had always been one of Bubbles' interests, but she found herself being captivated by it lately; as if even though her sister was not near her she was still forcing Buttercup to take part in things that would normally bore her.

She let the ball bounce off her foot and into the air. Then, as it came down, she swung her leg at it sharply, sending it flying in a furious spiral at the goal on one side of the soccer field the city had put in only a couple of years ago.

The ball continued to spin even when it connected with the net, until Buttercup could see smoke floating up from it. Finally, the thin net gave and the ball burnt a hole through to the other side, bouncing lightly on the grass before rolling to a stop.

She began the short trek to where her ball rested.

"_What happened?" _Had been the first thing to come out of her father's mouth when he opened the door to a disheveled Buttercup holding her unconscious sister in her arms.

"_The Rowdyruff Boys happened." She replied with a halfhearted scowl as the Professor ushered her inside. _

His next question had, naturally, been: _"Where's Bubbles?" _

"_Gone."_

She bent down to snag her ball off the ground, tucking it under one arm as she turned to continue her walk, the park having been just one of her stops.

She moved aimlessly through Townsville at an average human's pace, feeling that walking slowly often gave her the most clarity when the thoughts in her head became a jumbled mass of confusion.

"_Gone?" The Professor asked in confusion as he laid Blossom down on the couch. He'd already made sure she had no serious injuries besides a nasty bump on her head that was already healing. "Gone where?"_

_When she didn't immediately answer his face hardened._

"_Buttercup, answer me please. Where is your sister?"_

"…_She went with the Rowdyruff Boys. By choice."_

She kicked a can out of her path, staring down at the sidewalk. Her mind was restless, so she began trying to avoid the cracks on the ground in an attempt to distract herself.

Trying to describe her father's reaction to the news she gave him was difficult, since she wasn't as fluent at reading people's emotions as...well as Bubbles. However, shock and worry seemed to be the most evident.

_He didn't say anything after she spoke. He simply nodded and quickly swept his eyes over her to make sure she herself had no injuries. Then he turned on his heel and left the room. Not long after she could hear the door to his lab shut firmly. _

_Unsure of what she should be doing at this point. Buttercup stayed by the couch until her sister finally woke up. "_

She shivered noticeably from more than just the cold. She'd always known Blossom had a nasty temper when pushed far enough, but that had been one of the worst blowouts she'd ever had with her sister.

"_What do you mean she LEFT?" _

_Buttercup shrugged, unsure of what more she could say. She'd had time to think about Bubbles' decision, and although she couldn't say she agreed with the blonde at all, she could say she understood where the girl was coming from. It didn't mean she had to like it, though. "Like I said, she just left."_

_Blossom rose angrily to her feet. "Why didn't you __**stop her**__?" _

_Buttercup narrowed her eyes at the accusatory tone her leader was using. "I couldn't! You're always telling me to think things through, right? Well, it was all three boys against me, plus Bubbles wouldn't have let me bring her back unless she __**wanted**__ to come back. You know that."_

"_No, I DON'T KNOW THAT!" Blossom fired back, shouting now. "YOU SHOULD'VE TRIED EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO MAKE SURE SHE CAME BACK WITH YOU!"_

_Buttercup took a wary step back from her fuming sister, wondering when the roles were reversed; she was the one thinking rationally while Blossom succumbed to her anger. _

"_SHE COULD BE IN DANGER! SHE'S TOO TRUSTING! THEY COULD'VE SERIOSLY HURT HER BECAUSE __**YOU**__ THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD IDEA TO LET HER GO OFF TO GOD-KNOWS-WHERE WITH __**THE ROWDYRUFF BOYS**__! ARE YOU CRAZY?"_

_Buttercup set her mouth in a grim line. "Maybe this is what Bubbles was talking about. She thinks we have no faith in her. Maybe-"_

"_Don't you **dare** try to make it seem like Bubbles made the right decision here," Blossom said lowly. Buttercup never knew how she did it, but Blossom could be far more intimidating when talking calmly than when shouting. "What she did was one of the stupidest things she's ever done in her life."_

_The green Puff couldn't help but be outraged on her younger sister's behalf. "This is what I'm saying. Maybe instead of assuming Bubbles is wrong because we don't agree with her we should just __**try**__ to-"_

"_I don't want to know what you think I should do; you've done enough. I'll find her on my own."_

* * *

><p>"Oh yes, of course. It will be shipped to you by the end of this week. Yes, I'll let her know. Thank you."<p>

Jen hung up the phone with a heavy sigh, leaning back tiredly in her chair. She missed her friend dearly as well as her three troublemakers. They'd become like family and were such a constant in her life that she hardly knew what to do with herself now that they weren't there.

She smirked sadly to herself. Now she had no one to look out for and boss around as the oldest.

She hoped Cathy was taking care of herself and had no reason to get worked up over anything. Those boys had the ability to affect their Mother like no one else, and vice versa.

She hoped Brick wasn't going crazy being forced to take a break from company projects and using his newfound free time to relax. The boy worked far too much for a sixteen year old.

She hoped Butch had found something to occupy himself with besides causing mischief and upgrading the weapons in their storage.

And she hoped Boomer was able to stay sweet and not be influenced by his devious brother.

She sighed again when the phone began to ring with a new order. She wished she could call them, but she knew the best thing to do in this case would be to hold no contact with them for the first few days; the police were still looking for them.

* * *

><p>Butch backed away from the door to the Security Room with a devilish smirk and took off toward his brother's bedroom. Boomer and Bubbles were being far too quiet in there, and he knew just what to do to remedy that, but he would need some help.<p>

When Butch opened his brother's door without knocking, Brick greeted him with a glare from where he was reading on his bed.

"What?" He hissed. Brick didn't like to be disturbed when he was reading.

As always, Butch paid no mind to his angry tone. "I need your help with something."

"No."

Butch smirked. "Wasn't asking. You owe me a favor, remember? I didn't rat you out to Mom when you snuck into her lab a week ago to get in some extra training and ended up breaking-"

Brick growled and flung his book to the floor, jumping to his feet. "_What do you need_?" He asked through clenched teeth. If there was one thing Brick couldn't stand, it was being manipulated into doing things he didn't want to do.

'_Ah, who am I kidding? Brick gets pissed at __**everything**,__' _Butch reasoned. Still smirking, much to Brick's irritation, Butch led them out into the hallway. "Boomer and Pigtails are in the Security Room and things seem a little…dull in there."

Brick blew out his bangs impatiently and crossed his arms. "And? What does that have to do with me?"

"I need you to do a little rewiring for me, since I'm not good with that kind of stuff."

* * *

><p>Both blondes were startled when music began to play out of the blue. Bubbles raised a questioning eyebrow at Boomer, but the Ruff only shrugged his shoulders, just as confused as she was.<p>

They sat just listening to the music for a moment, before Bubbles decided that the beat was simply too good not to dance to.

Boomer had been scanning his equipment, wondering _why_ music suddenly began to play in his security office, but froze when Bubbles passed by him, following her with his eyes. He couldn't help but stare at Bubbles as she moved, her long pigtails twirling majestically about her form as she spun around the room.

There was something about Bubbles that had always seemed so innocent; he'd known _that _since he'd first met her. Although back then, he'd thought it to be a fault rather then one of her best attributes.

He was taken off guard when he suddenly felt two delicate hands grasp his own and pull him to his feet.

"Dance with me, Boomer!" Bubbles exclaimed with a giggle, tugging him to the center of the floor.

He began to shake his head vigorously. "I'm not a dancer, Bubbles," he said with wide eyes.

Bubbles shrugged. "Neither am I, but you don't have to be a dancer to dance!" She made her point when she forced him to spin to the music along with her. To Boomer, they seemed to be doing an odd reenactment of 'Ring Around the Rosey.'

When the song went to a slightly slower tempo she had them stop by the monitor. She moved his hands to her waist and rested her own on his shoulders, rocking them side to side.

Boomer reddened, feeling awkward; Bubbles smiled at him encouragingly as the song continued to slow and their swaying became softer.

Being this close to her, Boomer could clearly see how her happiness reached her bright blue eyes, which seemed to dance expressively even while their owner simply moved from side to side with him.

"Hey! Pizza's here! Everybody who's hungry better hurry up before I eat it all!" Butch called from downstairs.

Bubbles' smile brightened at the thought of food and she released his shoulders. Hurriedly, Boomer snatched his hands from her waist and buried them in his pockets. She raised an amused eyebrow at his swift movement, but turned and left, bouncing down the stairs to quickly snatch a slice of pizza before Butch inhaled it all.

Boomer stared after her, feeling suspiciously lighter yet heavier at the same time. "This can't be happening to me," he mumbled, running a hand down his face with a sigh. "This _can't_ be happening to me. No fucking way am I…"

The music continued to play around the room, regaining his attention. Boomer frowned to himself. "Mom wouldn't mess with my stuff, so it must have been Brick. Butch probably put him up to it too." Boomer glared at one of the speakers in the upper corner of the wall as if it was the music's fault he was feeling so irritated all of a sudden. "They're so dead." He turned back to the doorway and sighed, mumbling once again, "_No. Fucking. Way._"

* * *

><p>Her missing sister wasn't the only one on her mind. The green Ruff had taken residence in her thoughts and refused to be banished no matter how hard she tried.<p>

Who was _he _to look at _her_ as if SHE'D been the one to betray him? He was the one who tried to trick her into believing that he was good; or at least not evil anymore. She had no reason to feel guilty; he'd been the one to mislead her.

Her house came into view, and after a moment of debate she decided to use the front door instead of her window. It was probably locked anyway.

She entered the house, kicking the door closed before unzipping her jacket and tossing it into the closet, leaving her in a black T-shirt and green cargo pants.

She passed the kitchen on her way up to her room. Blossom was in there and she appeared to be studying. She hadn't seen the Professor since this morning when he was getting coffee. He was probably in the lab.

She tossed her soccer ball in a random corner of her room and flopped down on her partially made bed. After a minute of staring blankly at the ceiling she reached over to her bedside table and grabbed her iPod, as well as her headphones.

Her headphones weren't those tiny ones that fit inside one's ear; rather they were the big clunky black ones that a DJ might use. She liked them because it was like having loud speakers attached to the sides of her head. They blocked out all outside noise. (A rare feat when one has super hearing)

She situated them on her head and cranked up the first song as high as it would go, closing her eyes as she blissfully faded out of reality.

Only to come crashing so hard back into it moments later that she almost gasped for imaginary breath.

Aggravated by the interruption, she opened one eye to peer up at the person who was shaking her shoulder so roughly. She blinked, opening both eyes and pausing the song she was listening to.

Blossom stepped back and crossed her arms impatiently, so Buttercup sat up and put her headphones around her neck with a raised eyebrow.

"You skipped school."

Buttercup fought tooth and nail at the urge to roll her eyes or scowl. She had decided that she would not play Blossom's game; if she wanted to be angry, then she could go head and be angry but Buttercup wasn't going to reciprocate. "Yeah, so?"

"Where were you?"

Buttercup shrugged, not up for cooperating. "Oh, here and there. Townsville's a pretty big place."

Blossom's eyes flashed a dark magenta at what she perceived as insubordination. She always got so commanding when she was heated. Buttercup could tolerate it when her leader was level headed and her orders had valid reason, but when Blossom was angry at her she mostly just made orders to maintain some kind of dominance.

The irate pink Puff turned around in a flourish of bright red hair that nearly smacked BC in the face as she left the room.

'_Well, I guess she's going back to pretending I don't exist,' _Buttercup thought, replacing her headphones and trying to let the music block out all thoughts of a certain Rowdyruff and his evil trickery.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Hey guys! I think this was the longest chapter I've written so far. I hope it was of good enough quality. I'm sorry it's been over a month since I updated, but by now you all know the normal excuses. Family problems, school, life in general, blah, blah, blah. I'm back now so who really gives a crap?

I just wanted to make everyone aware that I'll be posting a new story in November. (I'd do it now, but I've got to give my betas some time to look it over and go over the details.) It's not the one that was most voted for, and for that I apologize. That story still needs to be outlined from beginning to end because I hope for it to be complex; so it won't be out for a _while_. The reason why I wanted to make you guys aware of this is because I won't be updating this story again until after that one is out. October's almost over so it won't be very long.

Second piece of news; I recently made a deviant art account (sad, I know, but I didn't have a scanner before) and I think I may make some comics for the stories I've written in my spare time. Would anybody like that? Let me know and I'll definitely get started. _Except For Lost Years. _I can draw scenes for this one and maybe short comics, but not one for the whole story. (Have you guys read this? This crap is long and its barely gotten started!)

Finally, I wanted to ask if there was anyone willing to color my comics for me? I don't have the program for it and I'd like to avoid just using color pencils and scanning the pages because that takes away from the quality. (And I suck at coloring. Isn't that pathetic?) X/ If you're interested I uploaded a promo for my first comic so if it looks good enough that you'd like to help me out -or you just want to see it- the link is on my profile. See you guys next update!


	9. Of the Same Coin

**Title: **For Lost Years**  
><strong>**Author: **SeBriar**  
><strong>**Pairing: **RrB/PpG (eventually; it has indeed occurred to me that we're nine chapters in and two out of three couples hate each other, while the third is barely above indifference )**  
><strong>**Chapter Rating: **T, because omg so tense…**  
><strong>**Chapter Details: **Shorter than my usual minimum requirements; planning for big upcoming events. **  
><strong>**Disclaimer: **Clearly I don't and should never own PpG. It would end up on a three year hiatus before coming back with no warning.**  
><strong>**Chapter Nine: **Of the Same Coin

_Happy Reading!_

_''__Honest unaffected distrust of human abilities under all circumstances is the surest sign of strength of mind.'' -unknown_

Brick paced in front of the smart-board that had been set up in the living room of their 'vacation home,' designating it as their planning center since they didn't have an office space and the entirety of their basement was being used to hold an older model of the virtual reality training room.

The lights were off and the curtains drawn, so that the only the glow of the large screen gave off any sort of illumination to see by.

The other members of his family and the lone Powerpuff sat facing him on the couch, giving him their undivided attention.

He was silent and twisting the cap of the marker in his hands as he paced the length of the room back and forth, glaring at the floor. Very rarely in recent years had he come to a point where he did not know exactly how to proceed; at least, not before the Powerpuff Girls came back into his life. What a fool he was to believe he could avoid it for the rest of his life.

It seemed everything going on now revolved around those girls, and he even had one _living _in close quarters with himself and his family. Honestly, Brick would not put it past Blossom to somehow have planned this entire scenario in case the arrest of his mother did not go through.

He could see it: using the most innocent seeming of her sisters in order to infiltrate their inner circle and gain their trust before making her move. She had always underestimated him, but he would not be fooled this time.

"…Brick? Hey, you okay?" Boomer asked, watching his brother nervously as he continuously walked the length of the room.

Brick halted abruptly, glancing over at the occupants of the couch with a disgruntled frown. He was never one to sugarcoat things -even for himself- and had no problem admitting that he _hated_ the fact that his brothers were able to sit so comfortably with their enemy. He expected it of his mother, whom he personally thought was not the best judge of character, but not his team.

"I'm fine," he finally answered, his dark red eyes, barely glowing in the dim lighting, were all that belied his inner torment. It was a reaction he'd struggled to control for years and had still yet to conquer. _'Just another way I must be inferior to HER,' _he thought bitterly.

"Well, if you're having trouble deciding how we should start, why don't we go over where we are right now?" Cathy suggested, sensing her son's troubled state of mind and attempting to deflect his thoughts onto a different topic.

Brick's gaze darted over to her, briefly flashed down to her gloved hands resting in her lap, then averted to a point beyond her head. He nodded in response to her suggestion and went to stand by the smart-board. "Boomer," he queued his brother.

Boomer opened up the laptop he held, hooked up to the smart-projector, and the board instantly came to life, mirroring the wallpaper of the blonde's pc.

There were several minimized windows at the bottom of the screen. Brick pressed lightly on the spot of the board where the one closest to him was located. The web page that opened up was an article from Townsville Gazette. Using his marker, he underlined a specific sentence in the top paragraph.

It read, _"Catherine A. Magnesium, a scientist/engineer who has provided the world at large for several years high tech weaponry in which has largely been used against terroristic populace (as well as a handful of notable medical advances), has turned on her country and become the very thing she was helping us keep at bay. A terrorist."_

"So as you can see," Brick began, expression now completely void of emotion, "Mother's current position in society is that of an international terrorist. She is wanted in not only every state in America but also-" He paused and pulled up another page, "China, England, and Japan. Magnesium industries began only two years ago allowing its products to be shipped worldwide and these three countries suspect foul play in that the company may have planted such arsenal as the unknown gas element that invaded Townsville High in its merchandise. This is of course unfounded and ludicrous, but nevertheless she is now public enemy number one."

Cathy groaned quietly and buried her face in her hands, shaking her head slowly back and forth in disbelief. She never could've possibly guessed the potential drawbacks of involving the girls in her project. Or, well, she knew there would be _some_, just not of this magnitude…

"Surprisingly," Brick continued, his eyebrows furrowing, "Or perhaps not, Bubbles' involvement with us is being kept under wraps. That's not to say the people of Townsville are completely ignorant to her departure-" He tapped a different tab and another newspaper article popped up with Bubbles' smiling face splashed across the top. Above the picture, in large bold lettering, was '**_PUFF-NAPPED!_**'

The couch's occupants all grimaced simultaneously at the glaring title. Bubbles shrank back into the cushions uncomfortably.

"-They just believe that we've taken her against her will and either plan to hold her for some kind of ransom, or that we're going to force her to do our bidding," Brick concluded with a deep frown, glaring down at Bubbles, who glanced about the room unsurely.

"For _whatever_ reason," He said with a tinge of contempt, gaze never wavering from the blue Puff, "The remaining Powerpuff Girls don't seem to be making much of an attempt at dissuading these falsehoods."

Bubbles gasped, looking affronted as she clamped her hands into fists against her chest and opened her mouth to finally speak up. "Are you saying-!"

"Are you trying to imply that this is part of some plan the girls concocted?" Boomer interrupted with an even tone, an eyebrow raised inquiringly at his brother. Bubbles snapped her mouth closed and glanced at Boomer next to her.

"I'm not implying anything," Brook replied immediately, his tenor returning to its earlier deadpan. "I'm merely pointing out all the facts and variables of our current circumstances."

Butch snorted from where he sat on the arm of the couch beside his mother, "Yeah right. Don't worry you guys, Red's just being his usual paranoid self."

Brick snapped his red eyes over to him, the dead-eyed intensity clearly illustrating his displeasure at his brother's mocking. "Nevertheless," He said, slowly returning his gaze to the smart board, "This is the situation we are dealing with. We already have a narrowed list of suspects for the attack on the high school, and I've begun working on some contingency plans. I'm open to suggestions, however."

Catherine raised her eyes to the ceiling, and sighed, staring at it contemplatively.

* * *

><p>Jen hurriedly gathered the last of her papers, packing them neatly away in her sleek leather briefcase. She then sank down in her desk chair, sighing heavily. She turned her head and stared despondently at the empty desk of her superior and best friend since high school.<p>

It had been over a week since Cathy and the boys were forced to flee due to false accusations related to terrorism, and since nothing incriminating could be found in their penthouse suite on the top floor the police had decided to lock down and search the building for more evidence against the CEO of Magnesium Industries. This was incredibly inconvenient for someone who lived on the _second_ to top floor of the structure.

Hotels were not Jen's preferred place of dwelling.

They refused to reveal what, if anything, they found during their exploration. However, they just recently reopened the doors this morning to the staff so that they could retrieve their personal belongings from their offices.

The office Jen was currently seated in which she shared with Cathy had been thoroughly stripped and investigated. The rather comfortably sized space had once held other furniture such as a nice couch and a few comfortable chairs. It was barren now, as the furniture had to be torn open and removed as part of the search.

Even their computers were taken for investigation, and Jen was more than a little annoyed that her flash drives were gone along with them. She'd lost a significant amount of notes, but there was certainly nothing incriminating on them, so she was not concerned on that front.

Jen did something she would _never_ do in the company of anyone other than her super-powered makeshift family, and certainly never in the workplace. She slumped down in her chair, kicking her stiff heels off and swinging her legs up over the arm so that she sat sideways with them dangling. She crossed her ankles and folded her hands lightly over her stomach, leaning back to gaze blankly at the plain white ceiling.

''I miss them so much…'' She mumbled quietly. She wished there was something she could do to help them.

**_BRRRRRIIIIIIIING! BRRRRRIIIIIIIIING!_**

She jumped, startled, at the sound of her cell phone going off in the previously silent room. Without looking, she groped around on her desk before she managed to grab it.

"Hello, Jennifer Carlfer speaking," she answered professionally, sitting up a little straighter and smoothing down the wrinkles in her blouse.

…She shot up, scrambling to jam her feet back into her shoes and grab her briefcase.

"Whatever you need, ma'am, I'm here for you," she stated with conviction as she hurriedly pushed her chair under her desk.

She walked briskly to the door, but suddenly paused with her hand just hovering over the knob.

"I… understand. If you're sure."

* * *

><p>Blossom snapped a file folder shut and let it flop down onto the table inside one of the back rooms used for questioning in the police station. She'd been granted clearance to police evidence involving the Magnesium case, however, weeks of research had amounted to nothing. There were simply no leads as to the whereabouts of the Doctor, her sons, or her sister.<p>

She pushed a few loose papers out of her way and picked up another folder; rereading this material was useless to her, she knew, but there was always the possibility she had made a slight oversight and missed a key word that would shed light on the entire process. The chances of this was less than one percent with her photographic memory, but even Blossom would admit she could be obsessively thorough at times.

A knock came from the door to her right, and she quickly strode over to open it. She frowned deeply, when Jennifer Carlfer was escorted in. The woman looked a bit disheveled, most likely from being pulled from her hotel room with little warning at seven in the evening.

This would be the fifth time Jen was brought in for questioning, and she seemed rather resigned to it based on the way she placidly pulled out the chair on the other side of the table and took a seat.

The officer who'd brought her gave Blossom a respectful nod of his head left the room. A detective would be in shortly to assist Blossom with the questioning, but for the next few minutes she would be alone with Ms. Carlfer.

Blossom stared coldly at the company assistant, and Jen looked back at her evenly, not batting an eyelash at the Puff's attitude, and instead mentally drawing comparisons between the girl in front of her and another frigid teenager whose temper she was well acquainted with

"Jennifer Carlfer, you've been brought in for questioning once again under suspicions of collaboration with an individual accused of national terrorism," Blossom stated bluntly, her gaze never wavering. "You _volunteered _this time. Why is that? Have you decided to admit to being involved, or perhaps offer us a lead as to where Dr. Magnesium and the Rowdyruff Boys are hiding?"

"Of course not. What could I possibly tell you now that I haven't already told you? I don't know anything about the attacks on the hospital or the high school, and I don't know where Cathy and the kids are," Jen replied.

Blossom arched a perfectly trimmed red eyebrow, but otherwise did not change her expression. "Then what information can you share with us?"

It was at this point the detective in charge of this interrogation stepped in, a cup of coffee in one hand and some papers tucked under his arm. His scrawny but tall frame, shaggy dark hair, and bags beneath his eyes, gave off the impression of someone strenuously overworked. He was different from the previous one that accompanied Blossom in questioning Jen and the other employees and acquaintances of Magnesium Industries. The redheaded Puff hoped he'd been well briefed so they wouldn't have to rehash old information.

"I-I apologize for my la-lateness; were you w-wa-waiting long?" He asked Blossom, who frowned at the way he stumbled over a few of his words. Could someone with such low gallantry or this speech impediment be competent in this field? She released a frustrated sigh, but shook her head in response. "Not at all; barely even a few minutes."

"I came here today-" Jennifer spoke up suddenly, and Blossom returned her focus solely to her. "To give you the name of the suspects most likely believed to have caused the gas raid at the high school. "Their names are Hopson, Curr, Smith, and Falman."

"Dr. Magnesium is our prime suspect. Why should we stretch our resources looking further into these people whom we've already questioned without further evidence. Do you _have _further evidence?" Blossom had of course noticed during questioning these four that they had filed out of Dr. Cathy's office behind the Rowdyruff Boys during the attempted arrest and had her own suspicions, but not enough evidence to at all dissuade her of Cathy's guilt.

"None that hasn't already been confiscated by police," Jen admitted reluctantly.

"Right," Blossom replied dryly. "I will give further thought to the ones accused." She turned to the detective, "Please escort them out, Detective-…"

"D-Detec-tective Net, m-ma'am," he finished.

Blossom nodded, "Alright. Detective Net, please escort Ms. Carlfer out of the station," She turned back to Jen. "We will contact you if we have further questions, or acquire new leads based on your information."

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, so, have you ever just been going through your old notebooks you thought you lost read through your old stories, and thought, 'Hey, I can finish this. Heck, I make it even better.' Yeah... not gonna offer excuses for the three year long break, or any promises for what's to come. Just glad to be back doing what I loved. I even found some old PpG artwork too. Haven't drawn them in ages.<p> 


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